Crimson Moon
by UchihaEternal
Summary: Traitor of The Leaf, Sasuke Uchiha, is sent out of prison to right his wrongs. Accompanying him on his travels is the shy, Hyūga clan heiress, Hinata. Throughout their journey, they come across many obstacles and struggle with their feelings towards each other. Eventual SasuHina. Alternate Timeline. Ongoing. Kinda OOC Sasuke.
1. Detained

**Crimson Moon**

 **Author:** **Universal Election**

 **Summary: Traitor of the Leaf, Sasuke Uchiha, is sent out of prison to right his wrongs. Accompanying him on his travels is the Hyuuga clan heiress, Hinata. Throughout their journey, they come across many obstacles and struggle with their feelings towards each other.**

 **Information: Eventual SasuHina, slow burn. Alternate Timeline. Kinda OOC Sasuke but my take on how he would be if he had someone to share his tight, locked up feelings with.**

 **Without further ado, enjoy!**

* * *

"Because you're my friend!"

Those four simple words that Naruto had drilled into him time and time again, finally hit him hard like a punch to the face. Sasuke could feel his overworked and newly formed eyes begin to well with tears. Embarrassed, he swiftly turned his head away to shield what little dignity he had left and accepted the fact that he would neither attack, nor hurt, his home anymore.

As they lay in silence, Sasuke opened his mind to his surroundings. The colossal statues that had stood watch over the Final Valley for years were in ruins, both missing a head which Sasuke couldn't locate no matter how much he tried. The crashing waterfall was all he could hear- besides their aching groans- as it assaulted the river below. He could taste the blood that had been falling from his newly formed Rinnegan that he couldn't seem to turn off. He made a mental note to address this problem if he was even alive later. His lack of a left arm felt foreign and unsurprisingly painful, but that wouldn't matter if he died from blood loss soon.

Sasuke, in the distance, heard a controlled 'thump!' and wondered if death had come for him.

Quite the opposite in fact.

As if on cue, an angry and frustrated Sakura Haruno had leapt from the cliff to find them. He knew he shouldn't have put her in a genjutsu with his Rinnegan. He knew he shouldn't have said those words to her, but it was incredibly annoying when she constantly obsessed over him and would've ruined his and Naruto's fight. After a brief search for them, she found them lying next to each other, each bereft of an arm. Angry and terrified that her best friend and love interest might die, she immediately started to heal Sasuke and Naruto.

On the cliff above them, Sasuke could just make out their tired, grey-haired, sensei. Even from afar he could sense he was smiling happily at the thought of him no longer pursuing the darkness his eyes could see. To be honest, it made him feel a tinge of happiness too, like a weight on his shoulders had been lifted and he could think straight for the first time in years. He would make up for his mistakes, he swore it right then and there. Itachi and the Uchiha name wouldn't- couldn't- become worse.

After what felt like hours and hours of flesh knitting itself back together, Sakura cut off the jutsu, confident they would both be alright for the time being till they could properly be treated in a hospital.

Naruto, being the dobe he is, got up instantly, forcing his shaking body to stand and obey him. His best friend let out a long sigh and grinned. Suddenly, Naruto's arm appeared in his view, his hand open waiting for him to take it. Grateful, Sasuke took it and was hauled up with Naruto's seemingly infinite strength. They stood together using each others body to keep standing for a while. It was amazing what their dual ultimate jutsu's had done. The land around them had been ripped apart and Sasuke knew that the damage didn't end here. Granted not all of it was their fault. Madara, Obito and the Juubi played their parts in the destruction too.

Naruto's teeth clicked together beside him drawing him out of his trance. He looked to be deep in thought and saddened by the sight before them.

A sudden thought popped up in Sasuke's head, and he turned to Naruto. Grabbing his remaining hand and forming a modified Ram hand sign between them. Naruto looked to protest but quickly realised what he was attempting to do and let it happen. Both of their chakra- what little of it remained- flowed into the jutsu and their brutally hard mission finally ended.

The Infinite Tsukuyomi was released.

Immediately Sasuke could sense the multitude of chakra signatures rise as the genjutsu broke and the weird plants, that would have turned everyone into a Zetsu clone, let them all go free. Sasuke imagined what they were all thinking.

Where am I? What's happened? Is it over? It almost made him grin at their ignorance of the situation.

Hundreds of chakra signatures were racing towards their position as they managed to track down Naruto, hoping he was alright.

A few minutes later, the ninja from the Leaf and his past friends spilled over the cliff with Kakashi joining them on their descent. At the front was their current Hokage, Tsunade, leading the charge.

Behind them all, Sasuke spotted his team: The Taka. The briefly made eye contact before Sasuke shook his head gently indicating it was over. Karin looked as if she was going to burst out in tears. Thankfully, suigetsu pulled her away from the edge of the cliff and started off in the opposite direction, fearful for their leader's punishment that waited ahead.

Sasuke forced himself to move away from his ex-teammates knowing that it would be unlikely they would want to see him after his declaration of war. He quickly found refuge on a lone piece of rock and sat down giving his aching body a rest.

Eventually, everyone was surrounding Naruto singing his praises and laughing with him, beyond impressed and thankful that he had defeated Madara and Kaguya. Sasuke easily spotted the hateful eyes that landed on him, some attempting to come over to teach him a lesson, (not that they could) before Naruto told them that he was fine and no longer trying to kill them. They didn't like it, but they didn't bother him after that. Sakura tried to sit beside him but after one pointed glance at her, she closed her eyes and made her way to Naruto to join everyone else in their delight.

He knew Sakura had feelings for him but he didn't feel that way towards her nor anyone else, and he didn't think he ever would. It wasn't what he was destined for and she would have to accept that.

As Sasuke watched Naruto and everyone celebrating, he felt a pang of jealousy at his multitude of friends, but quickly shut the feeling down. He was Uchiha Sasuke. He didn't need friends. Besides after this, he'd probably spend the rest of his life in prison for his crimes. It was probably the best place for him after all.

After a while, what he had expected to happen, happened.

Tsunade turned towards him with grim expression to confront him. Her garments were in tatters and several bruises were on her face and knuckles. Madara really did a number on her.

"Uchiha Sasuke," he looked up at her, "Is what Naruto says true?"

Straight to the point. Okay. Sasuke kept his expression emotionless and replied, "If Naruto has said that I no longer want to bring more suffering and that I won't attack you or the village anymore, then yes. Naruto would only just hit me again" while rubbing his jaw. Naruto laughed. He could tell by his body language that he was thinking ' _damn right'_.

"Then will you come back to the village to face your punishment?", Tsunade asked while tensing, no doubt expecting him to protest violently.

Sasuke nodded once. After all, he had seen this coming.

After releasing the imprisoned tailed beasts from his jutsu and returning the Nine-Tails to Naruto, he let himself be put into a medically induced sleep by Tsunade so that they could transport him without any fault. The last thing he saw was everyone heading in the direction of what he assumed to be the land of fire, and their home.

* * *

The prison was the single most boring thing Sasuke had ever been fortunate to come across. It was damp and the air smelled pungent. The room was just big enough to accommodate two people and the pitifully itchy bed he had been oh so graciously given was horrific to sleep on. He hadn't been there for very long- a few days a most- but because there was literally nothing to do but sleep, he had grown bored fairly quickly. His previous thought of prison being the best place for him seemed to wither and die. There was no way he could stand this forever.

Awaiting his trial was what kept him sane. It was ironic. The one thing that would condemn him for the rest of his life was what was keeping him sane.

He didn't even know what time of day it was due to the thin piece of steel that had been secured to his upper face to hide his powerfully dangerous eyes. It made all his eye abilities useless.

Amaterasu: he'd burn his face off. Ouch.

Kagutsuchi: pointless without the black flames.

Amenotejikara: he needed to see something to swap places with it.

No, they were all but useless. Not that he would use them to run away again. He had accepted his fate and punishment. A seal had also been placed on him to restrict chakra flow so he couldn't use jutsu, Rinnegan abilities, or his Susanoo either. Clever Kakashi.

Just as he was about to fall to sleep for the millionth time, the unfamiliar sound of a creaking jail cell door rang across the room drawing his attention. Who could it be?

Before he had the chance to demand who it was, a bored voice interrupted him.

"Sasuke Uchiha, your trial has started", said Kakashi.

"In here?", he questioned smugly while comically looking around the small room.

"Not quite. A few cells down there is a conference room where it will take place. Moving you to a hall wouldn't be very fun for anyone. Follow me," he said cooly while grabbing his right arm and escorting him outside his personal cell.

"I know what you're thinking, but no, I won't resist. Whatever happens. I deserve this."

"Happy to hear it."

Moments later of being pulled in the same direction Kakashi stopped abruptly causing him to bump into his shoulder and scowl.

"In here," Kakashi instructed.

The room was much warmer than his cell- possibly from body heat- and the floor was softer. He could practically feel the tense atmosphere as he was led into the middle of the room and seated.

Even with his eye guard on, he could still sense the chakra of everyone in the room and make out who most of them were.

Around him were four women and three men; one of them Kakashi who surprisingly no longer had the chakra of the familiar Sharingan in his eye.

Among the women was Tsunade, whose chakra felt stable now the war had ended, Sakura whose chakra felt determined yet angry, one of the Leaf Elders who held some power over him to his dismay, and a Hyūga girl, whose Dojutsu he could faintly remember sensing before.

Among the men were the other Village Elders who probably had far too many wrinkles to be alive, and obviously, Naruto whose chakra was tense like a compressed spring. Sasuke swallowed nervously, secretly wishing for his face to be covered completely. This couldn't be good. Perhaps his cell wasn't so bad after all?

Kakashi spoke first. "This trial takes place in cell fourtyfive at three-thirty pm on Tuesday. On the stand is Uchiha Sasuke who is accused of murder, being a rogue nin, attacking the Kage on multiple occasions, and ties to the Akatsuki among other crimes. How do you plead?"

Sasuke almost laughed. Of course, he had done said crimes, they had all witnessed them at some point. Deciding to ask a question that would probably anger everyone around him, he replied, "What do you think, Sensei?"

At his answer, the village elders scoffed and threw accusations left and right to anyone who was listening to punish him greatly even execute him.

"Answer the question, Sasuke."

"Guilty."

The room erupted once again.

"Silence!", Tsunade angrily shouted. The elders immediately shut up and started grumbling silently to themselves. Sasuke smirked quicky before washing it off his face completely.

"Sasuke is obviously aware he has done this and so are all of us in this room. But in light of Naruto's and Sakura's testimony, it has to be said that without Sasuke we would all most definitely be trapped inside some dreamworld never knowing the light of day again. He helped defeat Madara and Kaguya where none of us could do a thing about it, save Kakashi. I ask you to take this into account," Tsunade added. She certainly didn't mess around, oh no, but what did she gain from helping him?

Kakashi rubbed his chin through his deep blue mask he never took off, deep in thought. So his future was up to his sensei. He might just be able to survive execution.

Again debate started with everyone throwing around ideas at Kakashi. The only ones who were silent were the Hyūga girl and the new Hokage.

Eventually, just when Sasuke was starting to get bored again, Kakashi raised his hand silencing everyone around the table swiftly before smiling under his mask and raising an eyebrow. This couldn't be good.

"I believe I have come to a decision", he started, "I propose an unbreakable contract that binds Sasuke till he can make up for all the destruction he has caused. If he strays from the contract he will be imprisoned till... death. As his teacher, I take full responsibility for him."

"What kind of contract?" Sasuke asked curiously as he tried to ignore the fact of being imprisoned until death.

"You shall be given a month to prepare and heal in your cell. After this time is up you will be sent, by me, to several different Villages that have been ravaged by the war, and help out in any way until the Kage, or Village head is satisfied with your cooperation. Any break from this binding contract as well as any murders by your hand results in your immediate return to the leaf to be detained indefinitely," Kakashi stated.

Everyone seemed happy at the arrangement, except the elders who turned deathly pale but didn't speak up. Tsunade agreed to fashion a new arm for both him and Naruto out of Hashirama's cells so that they wouldn't be hindered by only being able to use one-handed seals. Naruto's chakra changed so that it was brighter, he was probably content with the sentence. Sakura's chakra was relieved.

Sasuke marvelled at his luck. Not only did he get out of a lifetime in prison, but he got a new arm and was allowed to help the people he had undoubtedly hurt around the world. Kakashi was as cunning as ever.

Before he could speak up, Kakashi spoke again, but not to him. "Hinata, I assume you are wondering what you're doing here?", he asked, eliciting a nod from the Hyūga, "I've asked you here as your Byakugan can be used to look at Sasuke's and Naruto's chakra pathways and help match the chakra up to the artificial arm. I have complete confidence in you."

The Hyūga's- Hinata that was her name- chakra was jumpy as if she was surprised but it quickly became solid like she was confident to complete her mission. Sasuke just nodded and was again escorted outside.

As he was moved again, he noticed that he wasn't going back in the same direction as before. He frowned. Eventually, they came across another cell and entered it.

Although Sasuke was reluctant to thank Kakashi, he supposed that he should. "Thank you, Sensei."

"Don't worry about it," Kakashi assured placing a hand on his shoulder, "Just don't let me down."

Sasuke nodded.

"I'm going to need to remove your eye guard now. You'll be needing your sight. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Kakashi warned before clicking his fingers letting the mask Sasuke wore fall away.

Sasuke's eyes immediately snapped shut from the assault of the light and his one remaining hand shot up for extra protection. Eventually, he started to test the light out with some rapid blinks. Sasuke was grateful he could still see.

The room was, thankfully, larger than his original one with a bright white light illuminating the surroundings. The bed looked considerably comfier. On the left near the wall was a weird machine and a chair with straps for the wrists. Sasuke guessed it was something to do with creating his new arm.

"Your month starts tomorrow and I hope to see you put some effort into it, Sasuke", Kakashi warned before locking the door and strolling off back to the Hokage tower.

Sasuke smiled for the first time in a long while. Discarding his prison acquired white shirt he quickly fell to sleep wanting to finish his month sentence as fast as possible so he could get outside and repair the damage he had so carelessly inflicted.

* * *

Hinata slowly walked out of the Hokage's office reflecting on Kakashi's orders. After swiftly identifying Naruto's chakra so that Sakura and Tsunade could remake his arm, causing her face to become particularly flustered, Kakashi had told her to follow him to his office at the Hokage tower.

Wondering what he would want, she hesitantly followed him back. She was surprised once again by what he told her.

First, once Sasuke was finished recovering and went on his mission, she would accompany him on his travels along with Kiba and Akumaru. Something to do with her all-seeing eyes that could identify things from nearly ten miles now, helping them stay out of trouble.

Secondly, that while she was visiting Sasuke to heal him, she would try to befriend him to truly pull him away from his darkness and give him someone to trust and share his emotions with other than Naruto. This particularly surprised her as she never really had had a conversation with Sasuke before, as he was thought of as a traitor and never talked with anyone. But she wouldn't back down from her mission, so she agreed and was dismissed soon after.

Lost in her thoughts, she realised she was now outside in the streets heading towards the Hyūga residence.

It didn't take long to reach her home as it was just a few blocks away. She was let in by the guards and strolled towards her particular abode smiling at Hanabi, her sister, who sat near the fountain also lost in her thoughts.

Shouting to her Father that she would skip dinner as she was tired after the weird day, she made her way, finally, to her room. She placed her weapons pouch on her oak desk and tied her silky, black hair in a ponytail before sliding into her relaxing bed not bothering to change.

While waiting for the darkness to take her, she began thinking of ways to help Sasuke and what to talk about over the next month. She didn't want to tell him about her accompanying him on his travels in case he got mad at having an unwanted babysitter. Perhaps just chatting friendly while looking at his chakra would suffice, she thought.

* * *

Hinata stretched to her full height. It was early dawn, and the sun could barely be made out, but she felt well rested. Dusting herself off and smoothing out the creases of her small and baggy clothes- perhaps she should've changed- Hinata exited her room pulling open the thin wooden door and headed towards the kitchen.

Surprisingly, her father was kneeling there. She gulped. She hadn't wanted to bring up the subject of her leaving soon but supposed it couldn't wait forever. She kneeled down opposite her father and began to tell him. Just as she mustered up the courage, her father cut her off.

"Hinata, I've been informed by the Hokage about your mission with the Uchiha traitor, is this true?", he asked stubbornly.

Hinata sighed, thankful for not having to break the ice but fearful about what he might say next. She replied, "Yes Father I've been ordered to accompany him on his travels".

Hiashi sighed and got up. "Good. It should be excellent practice so that you can get stronger and work on your diplomacy skills. I don't wish to be let down, but I have told the Hokage that I only want you to accompany him for a maximum of two years as you are needed in the clan. You have one last chance to prove to me that you can take over this clan".

Hinata audibly gasped at not having to argue with her father. She would have to try even harder now to make him proud.

"Yes, sir. I won't let you or the clan down. I promise to return stronger than ever"

"Good. You should be on your way to the prisons to start your mission. I wish you luck, my daughter".

Hinata nodded and scampered out of the house; eager to prove herself.

In the distance, the prison came into view. It looked very different from the other buildings that they had. It was made mostly out of metal, and thin pipes ran around it like snakes. Anbu lurked in the darkness with watchful eyes. As she approached, one such Anbu- with a mask shaped like a monkey with two red triangles on the cheeks- appeared in front of her waiting cautiously.

Hinata fumbled with her words. "H-Hyūga Hinata here to see prisoner Sasuke U-Uchiha by the Hokage's order," she recited, her stutter returning after a long time with her getting over it.

The Anbu eyed her up and down in a swift motion and then flash stepped away. Taking his absence as a yes, she entered the facility and followed the path to cell ninety-four where Sasuke was.

The interior of the prison was much the same as the exterior. Metal plating with Anbu crawling all around the place. She easily decided she didn't like it, not one bit. So she pushed on to the cell and came across it not long after.

With a fluent swipe of the guard's card, she gained access.

The first that hit her was the openness of the cell- if it could be called that. It was far bigger than the others she had passed. The walls, floor and ceiling were all gleaming white and on the left were a Chakra management machine and a chair for safety

The second was the topless Uchiha laying on the bed breathing deeply and slowly. She had never really had the chance to see him up close or very peaceful before now. His raven black hair was unkempt from the prison days but still looked ordinarily perfect. She spotted that he had grown his hair over his left eye for some reason which completed the grave Uchiha look.

She couldn't help but flush slightly as she stood there silently breathing looking him up and down. She had to admit he looked handsome despite all the scars he sported.

Just as she was debating what to say, Sasuke's right eye snapped open and fell on her with a knowing look in it.

* * *

Sasuke had awoken some time earlier than usual due to a dream about Itachi still being with him. Instead of trying to go back to sleep he decided to just rest his eyes. He was thankful his hair had finally grown long enough to cover his Rinnegan; it prevented him from having to close it all the time unless someone got frightened and lost their wits. He guessed he'd see a lot of them along his path to redemption. Idiots.

CLANG

Suddenly the cell door opened and a single chakra signature came closer. He recognised it as the Hyūga girl- Hinata. If he was honest he was happy that it was her helping him and not the annoying pink haired girl. That'd be unsufferable. Though not as boring. But maybe he could make this interesting with the Hyūga?

Aware that the Hyūga had not been moving and most likely was staring at him, without saying anything, he knew exactly how to play this.

He snapped his eyes open and stared at her, unable to contain his straight face. She had a red face that was admittedly cute.

"Do you have something to tell me, Hyūga, or are you just going to stand there?".

Sasuke didn't think it possible for someone to turn so red. Now getting a good look at her, he checked her over. Her matching raven hair, with a tinge of dark blue, fell down her back and shoulders. Her bangs were just above her eyes, and her eyes- the Byakugan- were probably the most enticing eyes he had ever seen. They were mostly white with some lavender thrown into the mix. It looked like she was staring into his soul.

She wore what he assumed was her mission gear. If he had to use one word to describe it, it would be 'baggy'. The pinks and blues of her outit only served to bring more attention to her face, while they hid her body. She looked incredibly innocent with her flushed face and fumbling fingers which were tapping together.

"U-Uh I-I wasn't I s-swear. I'm here for your uh... chakra examination". She averted her gaze instantly which brang a small smile onto his face. He was used to having this effect on girls (Sakura, Karin), but while those bothered him, he didn't mind the Hyūga doing it.

He nodded awkwardly into his pillow and slid out of his far more comfy bed. At his bare chest, she flushed again.

"What do I need to do?"

"Y-you have to move your chakra into your severed part of your arm so I can examine I-it," she bit out.

He nodded again and turned to the side so his destroyed arm faced her. She turned on her Byakugan as he did so. He could see soft veins bulge at the side of her eyes, it was interesting. The all-seeing eyes of the Hyūga clan. Slowly, he closed his eyes and carefully forced his chakra just above his arm where it cut off. It was far harder than normal due to the seal not allowing him to use jutsu. He wondered when they'd take it off. Most likely when he left the village.

After a few minutes of silence, the girl cleared her throat to speak. He opened his eyes again, seeing that she had deactivated her Dojutsu too.

"Your chakra is immense, so dark and w-warm. It should be easily to make a replica of your original arm," she said, recording her findings in her head. It didn't mean anything to him, but he would greatly like his arm back.

"Is that it? I thought it would have taken longer," he asked.

The girl shook her head. Her hair waving over her pale face. "That is the main part of it, b-but I need to check up on you every now and again until the end of the month".

He walked back over to his bed and sat down. "Sure, OK, I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other then Hyūga. I hope you're good company."

At his statement she giggled. Her laugh sounding quite angelic if he said so himself. "Y-yes," she said nervously, "I'll be back in three days, Sasuke".

Sasuke raised his eyebrow questingly and shrugged. He would have to get to know her some more soon. This mysterious girl had intrigued him more than he'd care to admit. Moving back into bed he closed his eyes once more. The sound of the door filled the room, banging as it opened and closed. Locked in once more.

Hinata Hyūga. Hmm.


	2. Leaving

Over the course of the next month, Sasuke was repeatedly visited by the Hyūga. It was slightly suspicious as he knew there really was no point in her returning to see him. They had sat and chatted to each other every few days over the weeks. Subjects ranging from family, to training, to random tidbits. Even though Sasuke never revealed much about himself or his family- he didn't want to scare her- she revealed plenty about her life.

She told him about her duties as the Hyūga heiress and how she would make her father proud. Her father, as she told him, seemed nice enough but was strict and wanted her to achieve greatness by any means possible. He didn't like her father much after that. Her sister, Hanabi, he could tell she loved very much. She also touched on her cousin Neji, who he learned died in the war. She had idolised him to preserve their friendship. She stayed away from topics about her mother.

She told him about how she utilised her Byakugan to see chakra points perfectly and close them, restricting chakra flow. She mentioned briefly how she wasn't very good at much ninjutsu or swordsmanship at all. When he asked her why her father didn't teach her more, she simply stated that he was busy minding the clan. What an ass!

After going through her more personal things with him, she told him more unimportant things like how her favourite colour was orange and the food she liked the most was cinnamon rolls.

In return he told her about his favourite things to do (when not locked up) and various techniques he had learned from his tutelage under the Snake Sannin, Orochimaru, and what he had invented himself. He told her of Kirin, a giant lightening dragon which roared forth from the stormy sky leaving nothing left in its wake

This seemed to impress her greatly. The small things he did mention about his family, such as how they were once happy until the were all gone and how he was ridiculed for just being an Uchiha, seemed to make her look upset.

One thing she mentioned annoyed him to no end for some reason he couldn't quite put his finger on. He still remembered her telling him just two days ago.

 _Flashback_

"Sasuke, what's your ninja way?"

"I don't have one, but if I had to pick one it'd be to never allow harm to come to innocent people again, I guess. Yours?," he said, not really paying attention.

"To never go back on my word. N-Naruto-kun taught me this and it made me happy knowing how it helped others. It made me love him even more," she answered, with a sweet smile. She then realised what she said and looked away.

This made his eye twitch in disbelief. How could an idiot like his best friend gain the love of Hinata. He didn't even acknowledge her, only staring at Sakura all the time. No, he didnt deserve this sweet girls love after all she had done for him. He felt anger grow in him and annoyance for some unknown reason.

"You know he doesn't even acknowledge you, for you. He only has eyes for Sakura even though she dislikes him. You waste your time following him, Hyūga," he said, trying not to sound angry.

"I k-know. I will just watch him grow from afar and be happy for him whatever path he chooses," she bravely said.

Anger turned quickly to rage. She shouldn't have to waste her life like this.

"That's utterly stupid," he growled. His anger showing through his calm demeanour.

She recoiled from his anger lace voice and piercing eyes before saying a quick goodbye, bowing, and leaving. She genuinely looked scared for the first time, and Sasuke felt stupid and made up his mind to apologise the next time she visited him. Who was he to judge her?

 _Flashback end_

It was as clear as a summer day. Hinata hadn't been to see him since and now that his month sentence was coming to a close, he berated himself as she probably wouldn't be coming back again. He had been stupid and most likely scared her off permanently. Now he was the idiot. He vowed to find her when he left to apologise.

She was easy to talk to more than anyone had been before. Normally girls would faun over him and not care about him personally, but Hinata seemed genuinely interested and he found himself liking her company more and more. Sharing his problems helped him become more stable, and learning about her allowed him an insight into a different- better- life, than he had ever had.

Scowling at his idiocy, he curled up once again in his white bed for the last time. If his calculations were correct, this was to be the final day of his imprisonment. Thank the sage for that. Actually he had met the sage. Huh.

 **Morning.**

Awoken rudely by a commotion outside, Sasuke realised he was to happy to go back to bed. Instead, he flipped of the covers- wearing nothing but white trousers- and began some simple excersises on the unoccupied floor next to his bed. Such was the thing he would resort to when Hinata wasn't around. His routine consisted of one hundred sit-ups, one hundred one handed push-ups, and a casual jog on the spot or around the small room for an hour to complete it.

Finishing his excersises an hour and a half later, he found himself coated in a small veil of sweat on his upper body and face. He'd have to suck it up, shower break allowed him but one shower every two days in the evening to just stay relatively clean. He had smelled bad fairly often. Hinata had mentioned it once which embarrassed him as he explained to her the conditions of prison.

Devoid of anything to do, he was delighted when the familiar clang of his cell door opening filled the room. Turning, he stood face to face with the previous Hokage, Tsunade, and her student, Sakura. Tsunade eyed him and his arm while holding a box in her right hand. Sakura was busy staring at his chest which made him close his eyes in frustration.

"So brat, you must be jumping with joy at your final day," she barked, "Me and Sakura are here for your arm as today, if all goes well, you will be made whole again."

"Excellent," he grinned, "Where do you need me?"

Tsunade nodded towards the black restraining chair, before making her way over to the machine next to it. Sasuke followed her command and hopped into the chair.

With a grunt from Tsunade, Sasuke began restraining him and his appendages. It seemed a bit overkill to him, but he didn't complain.

"Now Relax as best you can and try not to scream," Tsunade laughed.

Tugging on the machine, it slowly moved it's way over his missing arm blocking his view of it.

Panic started to rise.

Opening the box she had come in with, revealed a limb- his new arm- wrapped up in white bandages. He knew enough to know that underneath them the arm was completely white just like Obito and Zetsu.

"OK, here we go. Sakura, I want you to watch the machine for anomalies and keep him in a stable state with your medical ninjutsu".

The machine began beeping and whirring; seemingly matching his hearbeat. With a nod from Sakura, Tsunade stepped cautiously towards him with the arm thrusting forward, ready to join with his body.

Sasuke held his breath and bit down hard.

Artificial cells collided with his own. Searing pain ripped through him up through his left arm and shoulder until it zapped into brain painfully. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop a pained shout escape his lips. He felt like he was dying. He could hear the sizzle of his flesh burning into his new arm as it accepted it. Tsunade quicky belted down his now attached forearm to the chair to stop it from writhing around in the air. Warm blood flew freely to his new veins and arteries, and began matching the pace of his, very high, heart rate.

Suddenly, as if nothing had ever happened, the pain receded and left him feeling far better.

Sakura broke his train of thought. "Nothing looks wrong with the data. It seems to have be successfully transplanted. Hinata was right about the chakra," she giggled. Sakura moved the machine away from his arm again before turning it off altogether with a flick of a switch.

"Indeed," agreed Tsunade, leaning back to admire her handy work.

Now with a better view of the new addition to his body, he began to exam it closely.

Although it was wrapped up thoroughly, Sasuke could still see a lighter shade of white underneath. He decided to keep the bandage on for as long as possible. Perhaps his skin would grow over it? The main thing that he noticed was the itchy feeling that cursed the seam where the two limbs met.

"Get these infernal bindings off of me, I have to itch the arm or I'm going to go mad," he ordered.

Tsunade burst out laughing saying something along the lines of 'Naruto said the same exact thing'. Great now he was being compared to that dumbass.

After a few more minutes of her annoying laughter, she proceeded to untie him, wiping tears away from her eyes as she fumbled with the straps.

Free of the bindings, Sasuke immediately began scratching the cursed spot. Relief flooded through him as it eased up, but didn't go entirely. Then it struck him that he could move his arm, his fingers, just as simply as he could before- albeit they felt far weaker. He turned his palm around, opening and shutting his five fingers rapidly, while staring at them in awe.

"Well?"

He was concentrating to much to know who spoke so he replied, "It works perfectly. Better than perfect. You've have my gratitude, although there must be a less painful way to do _that."_

Tsunade started laughing again, though less heartily. Sakura joined her this time.

"Well that's good. I'm suprised it worked to be honest," she said, earning a shocked glance from him until he realised she was joking and scowled, "Now that that's over and done with, I have orders from the Hokage for you. You are too remain here for the time being until Anbu are sent to collect you, where you may gather what you need for your trip before meeting him at the gate".

Sasuke nodded once. He was still gawping at his brand new arm.

Eventually, Tsunade and Sakura left him where he sat back in the chair and debated what he would need for his trip. New clothes and a shower would be a start.

 **Midday.**

Hinata stood outside the steel cage of a prison waiting for Sasuke's arrival. She had been nervous about seeing him after their previous talk where he had gotten angrier than she had seen before. Hinata had no idea why he had gotten so angry so quickly, but thinking back on his words she realised they had some truth to them. Naruto never did notice her. Instead he always looked towards Sakura. She didn't bear them any ill feelings, but she couldn't help but feel hurt. Maybe she should just give up on him?

Kakashi had told her to be at the prison around twelve midday so that she could tell Sasuke that she would be accompany him on his journey. He had been happy at the fact they were getting on more than he had hoped. It brought a smile to his face that Sasuke could still be helped in his depression by her, and her friendship.

As she waited for her new partner she wondered what his reaction would be to her joining him. Happy? Sad? She hoped not angry again. She still didn't know much about him despite her giving away much of her personal life stories. She hoped that he would open up to her along the way so she could help him heal. No one deserved to be hurting, certainly not emotionally.

Catching her reflection in a nearby window she could see the gift that her father and sister had bought for her. She wore a lavender shirt- matching the colour of her eyes-, that hugged her curvy figure, which had long sleeves that covered her arms and hands to help combat the cold; albeit poorly. On her waist sat a black Obi that made her shirt cling even tighter to her body and showed off, in her opinion, too much bust. On her legs, she wore navy blue short shorts that had been outfitted with a pouch for her ninja tools and pastes for injuries. This she liked in particular. Underneath, we're a pair of black, long stockings that came up mid thigh, and resting on her feet were the new and improved ninja sandals which apparently helped in fighting as they didn't wear down as quickly, and have a better grip. All in all she admired the outfit. She had gotten a few stares here and there which peeved her, but she would be gone soon so.

As she tapped her foot on the ground to quell her boredom of waiting, a familiar Uchiha boy strolled out of the prison confidently. Behind him were three Anbu that were guarding and/or watching him closely. He still wore the same prison clothes, but she guessed he would rectify that soon. Around him, she caught spiteful eyes peering at him as they watched the Uchiha with distaste. It honestly pained her heart. He reminded her of Naruto when he was young and despised.

His gaze locked on her for an uncomfortable amount of time. She could see his one noticeable eye look her up and down before returning to her face and widening. She could have sworn she saw him blush. Maybe she was imagining things. The same couldn't be said for her as her own blush crept up her pale face. Unlike the other villagers however, she realised she didn't mind him looking at her as much. It gave her confidence in herself and she stood up straight ready to greet him.

The met each other a metre away. Silence washed over them.

"Hyūga I-"

"Sasuke I-"

Unfortunately for them they both had spoken at the same time. Hinata hid her face in embarrassment.

Easing the tension, Sasuke said, "Please you first, I insist," softly.

His tone calmed her. At least he didn't sound angry. Though that was liable to change "O-ok, p-please don't get mad, but Hokage-sama has asked m-me to accompany you on your j-journey of redemption. I have agreed and so has my father. I promise I w-wont get in the way".

Sasuke's eye widened once more, pondering a thought.

"That's perfect actually Hyūga. I was going to apologise to you for snapping at you in our last meeting today so what better way to do it than helping you train to become the best on my way around the nation's. And don't degrade yourself so easily, you won't get in the way- ever," he finished.

Now it was her turn to be shocked. She felt gratitude well up in every fibre of being and bowed to him. She hadn't expected an apology or a praise, but it warmed her heart.

"That's fine, Sasuke. I don't blame you, and I promise to not let you down, sensei!" she exclaimed.

Sasuke's lips curled up slightly. He looked happy that he had said the right thing.

"I'm sure you'll be fine. But drop the 'sensei', it makes me sound old," he proclaimed, "I'm going to visit the Uchiha district and change, do you want to come?"

"Y-yes Sens... Sasuke. Your arm seems well also," she nodded quicky.

Sasuke waved with his new arm and smiled again before gesturing for her to follow him.

 **Uchiha Clan District.**

It took all but ten minutes to walk to the Uchiha district- Sasuke's home. The walk was uninteresting as she had been smiling brightly on the inside. Sasuke demanding that he would train her to be the best ninja for an apology made her feel great.

She was looking forward to seeing his home and she hoped he did too.

Walking through the crumbling gates, her lavender orbs looked at the sight. It resembled her own clans district with its old style, wood housing and sliding doors, but, unlike her home, it was crumbling away slowly from the misuse of the buildings. She heard Sasuke sigh next to her. A quick peek at him and she made out features of sorrow and distress.

"This way," he beckoned.

Eventually they stumbled upon a slightly bigger, traditional Japanese house. Behind her a wall was splattered with the Uchiha fan- though one had a small spit in it. Sasuke ascended the stairs while Hinata followed him. With another sigh, he slid open the door.

He turned to the Anbu and pleaded, "I wish to be in private in my own home. I will not do anything foolish. I'm showering then changing, nothing else. I won't be long".

The three of them stood there passively. Hinata couldn't read them. Then they stepped back nodding, and held up three fingers, before walking to the wall and resting upon it.

"Half an hour. Let's be quick," he stated.

Inside the house, Hinata thought it looked especially homely. The furniture, although dusty, seemed to invite people in. To Sasuke though, the downstairs seemed of little interest as he raced up the stairs and headed swiftly to another room.

From what Naruto and others had told her about Itachi Uchiha she gathered that he was a rogue ninja turned hero, and was a good and just man. A nice older brother figure. The room she stepped into she assumed belonged to Itachi, Sasuke's brother. Nothing really stood out except a picture of what she assumed was Itachi and a few other people she didn't recognise. The other was a single box in the middle of the room.

Sasuke glanced at it before approaching it and cautiously opening it. Wondering what he was doing, Hinata moved closer.

Unexpectedly, Sasuke withdrew a black cloak which fell to his thigh and held two buttons on the front so as to hold it together.

Sasuke stared at the clothing before tapping his own forehead with two fingers, and looking up and nothing in particular.

"Itachi's cloak. He wore it when he was my age for missions. I always thought he was so cool wearing it. Then he massacred everyone I ever loved. I was consumed by rage back then. People hating me just because of my name didn't help either. When I killed him, Itachi, I felt no better. I then learned why he did what he did. Danzo had forced him to kill them lest war break out.

"I then turned my hatred upon the Leaf for Itachi's life. It was foolish of me but I couldn't think properly. Naruto pulled me out of that despair, gave me something to live for. When we talked I didn't want to reveal this as it still hurts, but I trust you enough not to break my trust".

Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she listened to Sasuke. All his pain, all of it, he didn't deserve it. Nobody should. For that it made her heart break. The trust he placed in her would not go scorned, she swore it.

 **Sasuke.**

Sasuke let it all out. How his brother made him feel. How he was ridiculed for no reason. How his family was gone. It made him feel better that he could trust it to someone who wouldn't betray him.

Turning around, he faced a sight that pained him.

Hinata had been crying over him and his tale. In her lavender eyes he could see the sorrow for him and it made him feel... something.

"Thank you, for listening. I don't tell that truth lightly," he added.

Walking over to her, he cupped the side of her face and wiped away her tears. They stopped instantly. He smiled softly.

"I seemed to have talked to long. I'm sorry for cutting you loose, but I will see you at the Konoha gate later," he said playfully.

"No, no, It's fine. I should go then. I'll see you later. Thank you for opening up to me Sasuke, I'm here if you ever need me," she replied sniffling.

He watched her jog back down the stairs before hearing the door close again. 'That was tense,' he thought, 'Now for my first shower in three days'.

As he stood in the shower, letting the warm water wash him, he thought back to the time he saw Hinata leaving the prison. She looked angelic. Like a princess from a fairy tale. He remembered suppressing a blush at the time. She seemed to have quite the effect on him. I wonder why?

 **10 Minutes Later.**

Throwing on Itachi's cloak he looked at himself in a thin mirror. His raven hair covered his prized Dojutsu in his left eye while leaving his right eye free. Under the cloak he wore a black, long sleeve shirt with a raised collar that rested under his chin. He wore matching, slim, black trousers which had a small bundle of bandages wrapped around his upper right thigh for tools. His sandals were also black completing his look. He looked like he demanded respect.

A missing piece hammered at his head. He had lost the Sword of Kusanagi, while fighting Kaguya, to the lava. Shame, he liked that sword. He'd have to find a fitting replacement soon. Maybe one of the shops would sell one? Doubtful.

Taking his leave, he hesitantly searched the room one more time. It was probably the last time he would see it again.

Outside he met up with his personal guard squad and made his way towards the Konoha gate. It was unlikely anyone would sell him anything anyway. Better to wait and get it in another village or black market stall.

Walking slowly he found himself wanting to see Hinata again. Why did he keep feeling this way when around her? Maybe he was broken? All he knew was that he couldn't wait to start their journey. He was going to make her the strongest she could be.

The great gates came into view. Ancient stone walls rose up enclosing two ginormous green gates which had red writing upon them. 'Welcome to Konohagakure' they read. Underneath stood his goodbye party. Sasuke was suprised to see Naruto wasn't among them. He was probably on a mission already knowing him.

Waiting for him was Kakashi, Hinata, another Hyūga man, Sakura, and a boy with a shaggy dog. He remember his name was Kiba, but couldn't remember his dogs name. He didn't want to either.

Once he was standing in front of the small party, Kakashi said, "Sasuke. I trust your ready. Hinata tells me your OK with her tagging along, but she hasn't mentioned Kiba coming too. Is that correct?"

Sasuke looked at the pathetic boy. No way was he coming!

"Absolutely not. I perfectly fine with the Hyūga coming, but I refuse to take this weakling. He'll just slow me down. I won't back down on this," he sneered.

Kakashi looked at Kiba, who was fuming at the fact he'd been called weak, then back at him. He sighed loudly.

"Fine. I can see you will just make it unbearable for us if we force this. Kiba you're dismissed, meet me later at the Hokage tower, I have another mission perfect for you and Akumaru," he resigned. Kiba immediately stopped raging and went off on a tangent about how he would become the Hokage. He then sprinted off.

Wow. Well that was lucky. Who would of thought Kakashi would let him have his way. Just as he was counting his blessings the Hyūga man spoke up.

"Uchiha. My daughter tells me you will be training her in many ninja arts. I am thankful to you, but I wish that absolutely no harm befalls her. If she is hurt in anyway, shape or form, I will hold you responsible," he said passively.

Sasuke was once again suprised when the man threatened him. So he said, "No harm will come to her in her training, or time with me, Sir." He wasn't used to saying 'sir' but it seemed the right thing to do.

"Good. May I ask what you will be teaching her?", Hinata's father asked.

"Identifying her chakra affinity then applying it to new, powerful jutsu. Swordsmanship, among other things," he answered.

The man nodded and from behind his back pulled out two beautifully crafted Katanas.

They were both identical except for the the colour. One was midnight black, while the other was pale white. The blades gleamed and Sasuke knew they could easily kill.

"For you and you, Hinata. The Sword of Pitch, and the Sword of Dawn. They were made hundreds of years ago by the Hyūga clan. They posses the power of being unbreakable and endlessly sharpened," he lectured, giving the black to him, and the white to Hinata.

He was overjoyed, as the Sword of Pitch- the black one- was given to him. It suited him perfectly. It was also unnaturally light which would allow him to easily defeat opponents. They would make excellent weapons. Looking at Hinata he could see she was also overjoyed. He belted onto the back of his waist like usual, whereas Hinata belted on to her hip.

Sasuke was speechless. It the end, he merely bowed.

"Consider them a gift. Now I must take my leave, my clan needs me," he said while bowing back and strolling off.

While watching him go Kakashi spoke up next.

"Your first mission is to head towards the land of water, where the Village Hidden in the Mist resides. There has been reports of rogue ninja there. Report to the Mizukage and help wherever needed," he conveyed," Oh and one more thing. Your new arm Sasuke. It has a seal placed on it to alert me if you ever decide to kill someone. I won't tolerate anymore bloodshed. Repercussions will arise if you do."

"I have no need to murder anymore people. Only fix the damage I have wrought. The seal is unnecessary," he replied.

"That may be, but the seal will remain. Now you two should be on your way. I will see you next time you visit," Kakashi said while removing his chakra suppression seal, then he also trudged off with his trademark bored face.

Turning to Hinata, he nodded once and they started off. The he heard a voice behind him.

"Sasuke-kun, I'll wait for you here. Please don't get hurt," Sakura pleaded.

Annoyance flared within him. He knew he would have to deal with this sooner or later. He didn't care for her the same way she did for him. It was time to remedy this, once and for all.

"Stop pursuing me Sakura. I don't feel anything towards you and never will. Go on with your life. Forget me," he said coldly.

With the sentence he turned around but not before seeing Sakura's emerald eyes well up with tears. It wasn't ideal, but it was necnecessary. She would never learn else.

Sasuke looked up at the gate for the last time and stepped through it. Guards surrounding it stared at him before carrying on with their job. Mostly playing card games. Hinata stood beside him as they walked, her head held high and a look of determination on her face. He grinned.

Infront of them stood the vast expanse of the forest. Trees littered their view while the wind whistled around them. The only thing stopping them from losing track was the old, cobbled ground path racing ahead to show them the way.

This was the start of his, no their Journey.


	3. Genesis

Sasuke never thought he would be leaving the Hidden Leaf Village for a second time. Even if this time it was sanctioned by the Hokage, and he had a cute travelling companion with him: Hinata Hyūga. No, he thought on that past cold night when he first left the village, he would never come back. Instead, he thought he would kill his brother, Itachi, and go on to be a feared rogue ninja for the rest of his life. It was lucky Naruto had taught him the error of his ways.

The two of them walked in silence. Sasuke didn't want to ruin the moment, and to be honest, he couldn't think of what to say. His cloak snapped outwards at the wind revealing his midnight black sword. He really was giddy at his gift. Now he no longer had to buy one from a black market dealer for an absorbent amount of Ryo. Not that he had much on him anyway. With the two Katanas, he could now train Hinata far quicker and efficiently.

Speaking of Hinata, she was currently looking determined to become stronger under his tutelage. Her perfect eyes were angled infront of her as if she was telling the world to 'bring it on'. Her hair was waving around her shoulders and face, making her fiddle with it intermittently to keep it down. Maybe he should recommend she cut it shorter? Her attire still suprised him even now. Hinata didn't seem the type to wear revealing clothes- usually going with baggy jackets- at all, but here she was wearing stockings, short shorts, and a top revealing alot of bust. He didn't mind it too much though.

Deciding not to be caught looking at her assets, Sasuke took in his surroundings. The Land of Fire really was a beautiful place to look at when you're weren't on the run, that's for sure. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, allowing the orange sun to smile down on them in all its glory. It was indeed a hot day. The sky was turquoise in colour and small birds, which Sasuke couldn't identify, flew across it in flocks occasionally. Crickets making their signature sound was what he could mostly hear besides the wind and their footsteps.

As he led the way to the Village hidden in the Mist, he turned his thoughts towards the journey and training regime he was going to put into place for both of them. His skills were rusty after being in prison for a month. With his chakra finally accessible, he could begin trying to think of more ways to improve again. The seal that Kakashi had put on him that notified him if Sasuke decided to kill was a little annoying, but he could always pummel and wound his targets instead. The rogue ninja he was being sent to clean up would prove harder to bring down without killing them. Though he was Sasuke Uchiha, he could probably scare them into submission.

He chuckled slightly at this thought, earning a confused expression from his Hyūga girl. Just as he was about to let her in on the joke, he spotted a blonde head of hair on his left by the trees. He inclined his head towards his teammate and led Hinata towards him. No doubt he had something to say to him. Sasuke was still miffed about Hinata being obsessed with Naruto.

Naruto was wearing a white, long-sleeved shirt which had an orange collar on it. It looked fairly stupid, but at least it beat his orange jumpsuit. Sasuke hated that thing when they were at the academy. Sasuke looked at his best friends right arm. It was, of course, missing. Sasuke suspected he would replace it soon. Guilt bubbled up in him at the sacrifice Naruto had made to bring him home. It wasn't the ultimate sacrifice, but he had lost part of his body for his troubles.

Naruto was wearing a serious face, but it softened when he saw Hinata with him. Probably not to scare her. No, Hinata wouldn't be scared away, she was strong.

"Sasuke," Naruto started.

"I didn't think you'd come to see me off, will you miss me?" Sasuke jeered.

Naruto reached into his touser pocket and pulled out a headband. "Here," he said, ignoring his question.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, though it wasn't visible under his raven bangs. He replied, "you kept that thing?"

Sasuke's suprise was genuine. In Naruto's hand was Sasuke's original headband. The one that he had forsaken years ago when he joined Orochimaru. It was scuffed around the edges and the material holding it was ripped in places, but it was the same one. On the metal plate lay a decision that had affected his whole life: a jagged line through the Leaf symbol. It unnerved him slightly. He was sure that it would have been lost to time. Sasuke still remembered the exact moment he had done it. He remembered standing in class in the dead of the night, placing it on the far back table, and defacing it with a kunai. There to seen by everyone that he had officially rejected the village.

"I'm returning this," Naruto said.

"I'll hang on to it... Until our real match," he stated causing them both to grin at each other. He took the forehead protector from the hand held out and placed it on his hip under his cloak where it was safe and out of the way.

Naruto nodded and turned to look at Hinata. he looked her up and down quicky, eliciting a blush from her as she fumbled with her index fingers. Naruto didn't notice. He was still utterly oblivious to her advances. What an idiot, making her wait for you. At least tell her you're only interested in Sakura. That way she won't have to spend the rest of her life chasing after you. Sasuke felt jealously knaw at him. He didn't know why Hinata had this effect on him. Was it because she was the first person to listen to him for once?

"If you hurt Hinata I swear that I will kill you, Sasuke," Naruto swore.

Sasuke was appalled at the suggestion immediately. "Of course I won't hurt her, nor let harm come to her, she means a lot to me, dobe", he retorted. It was true that she was special to him, she had given him friendship and a person to confide in with his tragic life. He looked over to her to see that she was staring at him, wide eyed. He smiled slightly at her.

"Good then. Well I best be off, I'm going to see if Sakura would like to go on a date. After all it has been a rough couple of months," said Naruto.

"Good luck with that," Sasuke mumbled, "See you later then".

He checked up on Hinata again as Naruto stalked off back to their village. She was looking down, most likely saddened by Naruto's plan to ask Sakura on a date. Damn that idiot.

"Don't bother with him, Hyūga. Sakura will most likely reject him anyway. You still might get a chance later on down the line. You're a kind hearted person and he'd be incredibly lucky to have you. At the moment we need to find a shop for supplies," he consoled.

Then Hinata did something he would never had expected in a million years; she hugged him. She jumped towards him with unshed tears in her eyes.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun, that means a lot to me. Though I just want him to be happy. Did you mean what you s-said a-about...?", she trailed off.

"That you mean a lot to me?" he said gaining a small nod from her on his shoulder, "Of course, you make me want to open up to you, and you're a valued friend from the miniscule amount I have, perhaps my second ever".

Hinata pulled back smiling. Her tears still held in her lavender eyes. She quicky blinked them away and inhaled heavily before continuing on the path.

He smiled aswell. The hug was definitely unexpected, but not uncomfortable like it would be with anyone else. It felt warm and full of joy. He couldn't remember the last time he had been hugged. Probably with his mother when he was a just a child.

Sasuke swiftly caught up with her and kept her pace before taking the lead. He knew of a shop around these parts. There they could stock up on: scrolls, food, tents, and sleeping bags. The shop was about a two hours walk away from their location, so he conveyed his plan to Hinata and they went on their merry way.

 **Konoha.**

Of course Sasuke still didn't like her; what did she expect. That he would run into her arms and kiss her, whispering that they would be married. No, it was just a dream. She had wished that after his near-death battle with Naruto, he would have changed somewhat and want to be with her, but it seemed he still kept his opinion of her- that she was simply annoying.

Tears were still pricking at her eyes, and then suddenly something snapped in her. It wasn't her who was annoying, but him. She had healed him when he was dying. She had tried to set him back on the path of good. She had even offered to join him on his quest to avenge his brother and attack the leaf. She had done all these things for him and he still didn't care for her at all. She promised herself next time she would see him, she would confront him again. This time a little more forcefully.

She wiped the tears that stained her face and emerald eyes and turned on her heel heading towards her home.

"Sakura-chan?"

"What!", she snapped.

She didn't feel like talking right now. Not one bit. She turned to identify the intruder only to be face to face with her teammate: Naruto. Guilt bubbled up in her for snapping at him. He had done so much for her over the years. The least she could do was listen to him.

"Oh, it's you Naruto. Sorry for shouting at you," she apologised.

"Is everything alright?"

"What? Oh, yes yes, just a little stressed is all. What did you want?"

"Yeah, I know how you feel. I know a great way to take away the stress though. Do you wanna join me for some Ramen? My treat. It works wonders for sure," Naruto pleaded.

Sakura felt herself grinning despite Sasuke's confession burning in her mind. Naruto never failed to cheer her up. He asked her for Ramen every now and again, and most of the time she would decline him, sometimes she would take him up on the offer. She wondered what to answer. Go home and brood, or have a meal with Naruto?

What the hell. She could have some fun right? It would serve as a distraction at the least.

"OK then," she replied.

Naruto's smile brightened and he led the way towards his favourite restaurant.

Sakura gasped when they arrived there. The little shack she had grown accustomed to seeing was gone, and replaced with a small establishment. Through the window, she could see more than the two regular father-daughter chefs. Now there were three more working there all wearing matching uniforms. They walked inside.

"Naruto! Welcome to our new place, cool right? As it's your first time here as the hero of the world, it's on the house," exclaimed the old man, then looking at her, "and your friend of course. The usual?"

"Wow thanks old man. This place looks great I'm happy for you. And yes Miso Ramen for me and Sakura," Naruto shouted back, also in awe at the new place. He led her to a table where they were quicky served their noodles.

She watched Naruto slurping his food like there was no tomorrow and found herself doing the same. She smiled massively at her teammate, and for the time she forgot all about Sasuke and his harsh words that were aimed at her.

 **Hinata.**

"Wait out here, I won't be long. People don't tend to like me very much and I don't want you hearing it. I won't be long," Sasuke told her.

She nodded at him where he turned and entered the shop. She crossed the path and sat down opposite the shop on a wooden bench. The shop was a decent size and had a few customers inside. Above it a sign saying 'Portable campsites, for all things outdoors' rested slightly askew.

The walk had been fairly boring as seeing tree after tree got tiring eventually. Neither of them said much, and she was still embarrassed by her forwardness with Sasuke. She had hugged him without permission when she was upset about Naruto ignoring her. She thought he would have recoiled and stiffened from the contact, but instead he had told her just what she needed to hear and hugged her, lightly, back.

He felt warm to her touch and his shoulder fit her head perfectly. It was comforting to say the least. She would have to control herself more next time. Wait, next time?

When she got back to the village, she surmised that she would tell Naruto how she felt again towards him, so that he would finally understand. Even though she'd never admit it, she hoped that Sakura would keep rejecting his advances and notice her. She dreamed about it often enough.

Suddenly, Hinata was brought back to reality by some muffled shouting coming from the shop. She guessed it was Sasuke getting scolded and rejected. She felt her heart break slightly. Why didn't they give him a chance, he has just had a unfair life and inside is really just a sad boy wanting the world to understand him. If they got to know him, understand him, like she did, they would see he was just unfortunate. She would have to tell him that she didn't think he was a terrible person at all, so she could try and help him again.

'BANG'

Hinata jumped and saw Sasuke, who had just crashed into the door, coming over to her with a sullen expression on his face. Behind him a middle-aged man with a grey goatee was poking his head around the door, his face full of rage and fear. He saw Sasuke leaving and lept back inside slamming the door closed again.

Sasuke had one scroll in his right hand. It was big and dark green and had the kanji for 'camp' on it. He reached her not soon after.

"Got it, though I could only bargain for one. It should be enough for us both. Anyway we should find a clearing, preferably near a lake to wash off. I suggest we carry on East towards the sea, there may be a place there. The journey should take us maybe two days. Any objections?" he asked.

Hinata shook her head, and replied, "N-no, you're idea seems fine. Sasuke-kun I just want to apologise for that mans actions, it wasn't right of him, I know that you're a good person really".

"Yeah well many people don't share your opinion, but thanks, you don't need to apologise for other people. Let's be on our way," Sasuke grunts back.

They set off straight away East bound to find good camping ground before it would get too dark.

Two hours later they stumbled across a decent clearing with a slow moving river just a few yards away. They had crossed many sites on their way. Some too small. Some with uneven ground. Some with no lake. It was tiring, but Sasuke didn't moan so neither did she. He was patient like that.

Hinata stepped back as Sasuke unfurled the green scroll with one swing and layed it on the ground infront of him. She could feel his chakra flare to life from deep inside him; it was just as enormous as before. Except this time, instead of being dead cold, she felt some warmth radiate from it comforting her. How had it changed so drastically? With chakra now at his fingertips, he threw his hand downwards towards the parchment. As soon as his palm hit the scroll, a cloud of smoke shot from it and engulfed their campsite.

When the cloud dissapated into the air she gasped. The merchandise from the shop was of top quality. The tent- which she noted of just being big enough for two- was white and sturdy with ropes lashing into the ground. Inside looked warm and cosy with two blue sleeping bags resting side by side, a blush crept up on her face. Around the tent sat a firepit surrounded by smooth stones and piled high with twigs which Sasuke then lit with a easy fire ball jutsu. Warmth surrounded them and protected them from the dusk. On the ground next to it was a basket which she opened. Inside was lots of bread, fruit, and the occasional muffin. It smelled delicious!

"Wow, this looks great," she exclaimed.

"Yup, not bad. Sorry about the single tent, it was all I could get", Sasuke said.

"U-Uh no its f-fine," she stuttered, before steeling her resolve, "What now?"

"Well I'm going to eat then rest. It's been all long day and we'll need strength for the morning. After all, the Land of Waves is across the sea. In the morning we will start your training. Swordsmanship and looking at your element affinity. We'll continue this often until we can work on your ninjutsu. Sound alright?"

"Y-yes Sasuke-kun, I won't let you down," she answered.

Sasuke rolled his eyes before sitting down crosslegged and pulling out some bread and a waterskin. She followed suit. The food not only smelled great, but tasted it too.

The wind picked up and she stared into the orange fire which snapped viciously at the offending darkness. She shivered and looked back at Sasuke who was watching her closely. She felt heat rising to her face yet again before looking down towards the ground. Why did he, like Naruto, make her so vulnerable? She realised it didn't matter.

'Her first night of many,' she thought, and looked at their shared tent flapping in the wind.

 **Sorry for the shorter chapter, the next one will be longer. Thank you for the follows and reviews they help out alot. I have lots of plans for this fiction, but if you'd like to see a particular scene or job they have to take on feel free to PM me or review.** **This is my favourite crack shipping as SasuSaku is so undeserved. He tried to kill her and she only likes him because he's good looking.**

 **You may have noticed that Sasuke hasn't called Hinata by her first name yet and that's intentional. He will say it when it is required. Speaking of which, would you like lemons or not? It is awkward writing them but it's the final reunion of a couple and would happen eventually.**

 **~UE**


	4. The Married Sailors

The darkness crept over their campsite like a deadly lion stalking its prey; silently and experienced. The chilly wind had picked up in the last half an hour and made them both shiver incessantly. After their speedy dinner of fresh bread and water, they had stayed outside through unspoken agreement, neither wanting to leave yet, and watched the stars light up and the bone white moon to make an appearance. The raging fire had withered and died a while ago, plunging her and Sasuke into near pitch black. Crickets could, again, be heard throughout the woods, and Owls hooted every now and again.

Even though she was happy with the prospect of looking at the heavens forever, her yawning served as a reminder that she was still human and she desperately needed sleep, especially if she was to get some training in in the morning before continuing on towards Kirigakure.

She peered over at Sasuke. He was sitting crosslegged where his eye pierced the sky to look at the billions of stars. He blinked slow and softly, his body concealed inside his brothers cloak. The clothes she wore which was supposed to fight the bite of the cold were failing at their job miserably. Stockings and short shorts weren't the best for a cold nnight such as this one, she surmised.

Then, to make matters worse, the clouds saw fit to unleash a hail of rain down on them. She silently thanked the sky for giving her a reason to retire for the night. She hoped the tent would hold. The rain doused the last remaining bits of heat emanating from the fire, and the sound of water hitting leaves rustled through the silent night.

Sasuke, letting out a small sigh, sealed the firepit and food back into the green scroll so they could use it at a later date, before tucking it away. Hinata didn't see where.

She then looked at the tent again, a little fear rising in her. She had not slept next to a boy ever before, let alone Sasuke. She had seen him sleep when walking into his cell, yes, but never had he seen her sleep.

Sasuke sensing her fear said, "If your uncomfortable, I can sleep outside even if it is raining"

Hinata's eyes widened at the thought. Sasuke was willing to sleep outside. In the Rain. In the cold. Unprotected. It made her feel safer, and her fear vanished completely. She wouldn't do that to a teammate, especially someone who had opened up to her and said she was special to him.

"N-no way, it's freezing. I was just embarrassed that's all," she revealed.

"Embarrassed? What for?" Sasuke frowned.

"I didn't want you to see me s-sleeping. It's embarrassing"

Sasuke snorted slightly. "I couldn't care less about your sleeping habits. Unless you snore, that might get irritating eventually," he laughed.

Embarrassment came flooding back again. She most certainly didn't snore. She was a Hyūga! She narrowed her eyes at him, attempting to come off insulted.

It didn't work as Sasuke retorted, "You don't snore? Ok that's good. You know, you look really cute when you're trying to look annoyed and angry".

Heat rose to her face as rain trickled down her wet, long hair. Sasuke had just called her cute. She had never been called 'cute' before by anyone other than her sister, yet when Sasuke said it, she flushed immediately. She wondered if Naruto would ever call her cute. She was also slightly angered at how her annoyed image had blown up right in her face like a balloon.

Before she could bite something back Sasuke spoke again.

"Well then, Night"

"Goodnight," she whispered back, barely audible.

Sasuke stalked off towards the tent and stepped inside, carefully removing his sandals and cloak and placing then at the end of his sleeping bag. He then took off his katana from behind his waist and placed it on top of his cloak. Hinata followed suit with the sandals and sword, but left everything else on. She certainly wasn't going to sleep with nothing on. Hinata ringed out her long hair, letting the droplets fall outside the tent, before jumping back inside so as to not get drenched again. Putting her blue/black hair in a pony tail, she unzipped her sleeping bag and crawled in. Warmth enveloped her, and she felt herself shiver at the sudden change in temperature. A wave a tiredness washed over her.

Sasuke, meanwhile, had taken of his high collared shirt exposing his slender body and abs that suited him nicely. Scars were visible on his chest, and Hinata found herself wondering how he had got all of them. She then caught Sasuke's raised eyebrow aimed at her and she quickly turned around and dug herself into the sleeping bag hiding her embarrassment. Hopefully he didn't think she was some kind of perv!

She heard rustling beside her; Sasuke getting into bed also. His breathing, like hers, was shallow and quiet. She found herself dropping of to sleep a little while later listening to his calm breathing. It felt relaxing. She dreamed that night about her as an adult with a black haired child. It was all fairly normal, she was used to seeing herself with Naruto in dreams, but the thing that shocked her the most was that next to her, with an hand on the child's shoulder, was an older Sasuke grinning away without a care in the world. Weird.

 **Morning.**

The new orange sun shone carelessly through their tent illuminating the surroundings and casting shadows over them. Sasuke groaned as the bright light invaded his closed eyes. Inching them open, he noticed Hinata was still sleeping soundly beside him. She was smiling joyfully at a supposed dream and her breath was quiet and controlled. No snoring. He put back on his black shirt and sandals before, regrettably, shaking her shoulder lightly. She stirred and his breath caught. He had noticed before that she was cute, but looking at her now while she was still half asleep he realised just how pretty she actually was. Her purplish hair cascaded down her back and pillow in strands; her hair band hadn't kept it in a pony tail. Her lips looked smooth and inviting, and her skin was unmarked by blemishes or scars, unlike him. Lavender eyes were locked onto his coal black ones where she was looking at him funny.

"Morning, Hyūga. I'll get some food out and then we can go down to the river to train for a bit," he revealed quietly.

She nodded to him and mouthed a 'morning' back before closing her eyes again trying to savor the sweet embrace of sleep. He knew it all to well. His lips curled at her actions and he stepped outside, making sure to grab his Hyūga forged sword on the way out.

The aroma of dew entered his nose. Rain droplets littered the grassy floor and surrounding trees. It looked like a painting.

Unfurling the scroll again, he conjured up some fruit and water. He hadn't eaten anything particularly healthy for a while due to being imprisoned and given mainly slop. He would appreciate it now though, and Hinata would most likely like it, not that she would voice any concerns either way. She was too shy sometimes.

Sitting down on a relatively dry log, he devoured his breakfast and waited patiently for his companion to join him for food. Five minutes later, Hinata lulled out of the tent, carrying her white katana in her left hand while rubbing her eyes with the right. She yawned silently. She definitely looked pretty on the morning.

She didn't bother sitting down, instead she took the rest of the fruit and water and ate it in a ladylike manner.

"Can we start the training now? I'm really excited to become stronger," she said confidently.

He smirked. It was a good sign if your student wanted to train and not just put it off. They often showed promise. He had no doubt that Hinata would pick up sword play fast and become excellent at it.

"You asked for it," he said and stalked off towards the river which had a perfect patch for training and a wash after, "This way"

In the clearing just a few yards away, the river ran slowly. The ground next to it was less damp allowing them easier manoeuvrability. Butterflies flew along the water while bees collected honey from the nearby flowers. He took up a spot on the ground and turned to Hinata. He didn't really know where to start, but a quick run down and spar seemed the best way forward.

"Actually, It may be best if we use sticks first. You know just to get the hang of it," he cited.

"Y-yes," was the reply.

Sasuke rapidly snapped off two sticks from a nearby tree roughly the same size as their Katanas and threw one to Hinata.

"Now then, first things first, don't get hit. Secondly, you have to think of the Sword, or stick in this situation, as a extension of your arm so that it flows easier and you can block quicker. Thirdly once we get the basics down you can start developing your own style that suits you better. This allows for you to be unique and unpredictable towards enemies," he told her.

He got a quick nod on response, her face confident but hesitant.

"Let's start off with a spar. Try to not be so hard with your swings, a slight jab is all it takes to finish someone off. Begin," he said.

It was true. Overly hard thrusts weren't needed when you could just quickly slice and stab to get far better results. Even more so with poison coating the blade.

Sasuke took up his stance. His feet both facing forward one in front of the other, with with right hand in the air, and left hand- which was holding the stick- to his side, coiled and ready to strike. Hinata mirrored him, not yet knowing which way was the best to stand for herself.

They both circled around, with him peering into her narrowed eyes which weren't looking at his eyes, but at his stick.

"Don't look at the stick so much, look into your opponents eyes and it reveals a lot more," he informed her.

Her eyes flitted up to his and down to his feet to look at his footwork. It was a good time to strike. He charged forward, being careful not to use his real speed, and collided with her wooden stick, she had raised it up to block but it was reflexes not skill. He span around and knocked the stick out her her hands, before placing his on her neck and said, "Dead. Again!"

She instantly picked up her stick, which lay on the wet ground, and started the brawl this time instead of him. She aimed for his chest where he span out the way to dodge an hit her on the back.

"Ouch!"

"Dodging is an essential part of swordsmanship for when you can't block," he said while backing away.

Another nod. She lept towards him aiming this time for his hip which he easily blocked and then retaliated by stepping on her foot lightly, to which she gave another 'ouch', and then hit her on her exposed waist.

"Dead. Again," he growled.

She narrowed her eyes again. He could see her getting flustered at losing constantly. That always led to bad things he knew. She jabbed at his within quick succession and twirled around aiming for his head. He dodged all of her strikes and ducked under the one aiming for his head. When he looked up she had recovered and was going in for a kick to finish him off. Clever. Then a gust of wind blew over them causing her long hair to shield her eyes from the world. He quickly took advantage of the environment and slapped her foot away before letting his stick rest on her neck again.

"Dead"

She forced back her hair and sat down with her head between her knees obviously upset about something.

"Not bad for your first time. You show promise. The way you incorporated the kick and how you used the head strike to distract me was good. Though you got too flustered and lost concentration, we'll need to work on that next time. Also I recommend cutting your hair shorter or tying it up, it may get it the way when you don't want it to like just then," he conveyed.

She lifted her head to look at him and gave him a weak smile.

"T-thanks, Sasuke-kun. I'll see if I can cut my hair when we get to the Mist. I won't lose my cool again, I promise," she exclaimed.

"Now let's check your elemental affinity," he said, while pulling out some chakra paper from his cloak.

"This paper comes from trees that are continually fed chakra and when you channel your chakra into it, it will reveal your element affinity. Some people have one, while others, like myself, have two or more. Mine is Fire and Lightning, let's try you," he continued.

She stood up and took the paper from him. He could sense her chakra going into the paper, shaping it. It was still calm and inviting.

Then the paper suddenly crinkled and burst into flames. He raised his eyebrows at the sight before him. She had the exact same affinity as him. What a stroke of luck.

"Well that was unexpected," he grinned, earning a confused look from her, "you have the same affinities I do: Lightning and Fire release. This will make it even easier to train you as we match"

Hinata looked visibly excited at the revelation of being taught new jutsu. He would have to get a demonstration from her soon about what she can do already.

He nodded once and blinked at the sun. The stream was beckoning him. Now stopping to look at himself, he could feel sweat clinging to him. The same thing on Hinata's brow and face.

"The river. Wash. We need to get going soon. You can go first, be quick," he instructed.

He went and fetched Itachi's cloak from their tent and then sealed everything away for the next time; whenever that would be. He turned around wondering if Hinata would be done. He made his way back through the woods towards the river where he spotted Hinata with a towel around her nude body. He turned around out of respect, but not before getting a generous view of her figure.

"Good you're done. I'll just be a minute meet me back at the campsite and we can head off again," he shouted to her behind him.

He heard her squeal and run of picking up her clothes on the way. He then took off his clothes and bathed in the slow moving river. The water instantly cleansed him of dirt and sweat leaving him refreshed and cool. He swam back to the river bank and put his clothes back on along with his cloak, not bothering to dry off. The sun wasn't too high in the sky, giving them a good amount of daylight to reach the docks to get a ship to Kirigakure.

Making his way back to the campsite, he found Hinata sat on the log waiting for him. He shook the water out of his raven locks and his fringe covered his Rinnegan. She didn't yet know about his prized possession, better to wait for a more suitable time.

"We're off. It's about a three hour walk to the docks where we can hire a boat. Not long now," he said, walking past her.

Once the were back on the path East, the atmosphere got very tense and silent. Though he didn't break it. He preferred the silence, it made a change from Naruto shouting all the time.

Seagulls cawed high above them also heading for the ocean to feed. He figured it was a good day for fishing and swimming. In the distance he could occasionally hear the thunder of a ship horn signalling it's departure.

 **Three Hours Later.**

"Shit..."

They had spent hours searching for the docks only for it to give them no way of crossing the vast sea.

The docks were in front of them looking back at them innocently. Five wood jetties were built out into the sea with moorings on them, waiting for ships to dock.

He and Hinata were perched on top of a ludicrously tall tree, where their respective eyes scanned the docks for anything resembling a ship. Hell even a canoe would do! He saw the girl beside him flinch when he cursed. It was understandable given that she came from a prestigious clan. Still that wouldn't stop him.

"Shit!" he repeated, harshly.

"W-what do we do now, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, failing to defuse his anger.

He didn't really know what to do to be honest with himself. Stay over night? Wait a bit? It would waste his time staying another night.

Then a thought gripped him. "Your eyes. They're omnidirectional right? You can see at a distance," he questioned.

"Y-yes. Do you want me to use them?"

"Obviously," he snapped.

She flinched slightly before making a single hand seal. Her soft eyes turning angular, veins bulging. Apparently Hyūgas could see for miles. It would be helpful on their travels. He waited impatiently for a sign from her.

One minute... Three minutes... Ten minutes...

Finally, just as he was about to angrily activate his Susanoo to get a vantage point in the air, Hinata deactivated her Byakugan. She narrowed her eyes to the west of them behind a cliff face, and pointed. "Over there. It's a small boat available for charter. About a mile away," she stated.

"Good job," he grunted, "Let's move."

They came out of the woods in a clearing that was the edge of the cliff. Over it he could see nothing but murky, blue, green water. He jogged to the edge and peered over cautiously. It was about a hundred foot drop. He could see a staircase leading to it from far away, but he didn't have the patience to go around again.

"Use a kunai. Brace your knees with chakra," he said seriously, before pulling out a grey kunai and channeling chakra into his legs for support. She gave him a confused look before widening her eyes in shock.

"W-what! That's too high, Sasuke," she whimpered loudly.

He narrowed his eyes at her before realising what she hadn't given away. This would be amusing.

"You're scared of heights aren't you?" he smirked.

She didn't even bother denying it. She just rapidly nodded her head still in shock. He sighed. There was one way he could get her down without her crying, though it would hurt his pride. He kneeled down in front of her so that his back faced her.

"Get on"

"W-what?" she answered again. She looked hesitant at the idea.

"It's just to get you down. You can close your eyes if you need to, now hurry up or I'm leaving you up here," he said hurriedly.

"O-ok," she whispered, still skeptical.

He felt her body wrap around his back and her arms clutch tightly around his neck almost strangling him. 'She really is scared of heights,' he thought. Her legs also wrapped around him and soon she was in position. He could hear her breathing loudly into the back of his neck. He rolled his eyes at the picture.

"Hold on tight, and please don't scream," he said.

He then walked back to the edge and looked down. The vertigo hit him hard, but he ignored it. Jumping vertically down, so as to stay close to the cliff, he jabbed his kunai into the rock face causing a long line to form on its trail. Behind him, Hinata had her head buried in the crook of his neck and most likely her eyes sealed shut. Thankfully she wasnt screaming into his ear. His stomach churned slightly at the fast descent. Eventually he saw the bottom closing in and kicked off from the cliff, landing sharply on the small wooden jetty. His knees buckled ever so slightly before allowing him to stand. He looked up at the cliff and admired his handy work.

Then, remembering a certain someone clinging softly to him, he tapped her pale cheek. No response.

"Hyūga...?"

No response.

It struck him that she had fainted from the fall or height. Great, now he had to carry her. He put his elbows under her thighs and hoisted her up allowing her to stay on his back for the time being. He then looked up, eyes darting from side to side, searching for the boat she had spotted.

It bobbed quietly on the water where it was moored. It's was of medium size compared to some he had seen before. The hull was made of wood and it had a single mast. On the back was a cabin that led to the lower levels. Whistling broke his train of thought. A man, maybe in his fifties, was working on untying the rope from the dock. He had black and white, short hair that swayed in the gentle breeze. He wore a simple grey top with a life jacket over it and blue jeans. He seemed happy.

Approaching the man, he admired more of the boat. It's name clearly printed on the side as 'THE FLYING DUTCHMAN'.

"A Beauty isn't she," the man exclaimed proudly, catching his attention.

He nodded back at him. Sasuke didn't know much about boats but it seemed like a good vessel.

"What do ya need, lad?"

"We're looking for a ride to the Land of Water, but I'm afraid I don't have much money. A little under fifty ryo," he said skeptically.

The man jumped off onto the jetty and peered at the girl on his back.

"No point in the money anyway. Me and the wife were just about to leave. Could use an extra pair of hands though? Being old an all," he said smiling, then pointed at his shoulder, "Girlfriend?"

"U-Uh no, just someone special to me. She's helping me out but was a little sleepy", he replied picking up Hinata's stuttering habit suddenly.

"Ah, ok," said the man disbelieving his explanation. Sasuke supposed it did look quite convincing, but he didn't think of her that way, and she never would think of him like that would she?

"Come on aboard then. I'll get the wife she'll take yer friend to the spare room to rest. I need some help unfurling the sail."

Sasuke nodded, grateful for the free ride. Not many people showed him kindness. He doubted this man would be so humble if he knew what he had done before helping in the war.

Stepping onto the boat he found himself rocking back and forth slowly.

"Names Yoto, and my wife's is Irimi," revealed the man- Yoto.

"Sasuke and Hinata," he replied kindly. He was going to use fake names but after the help he had received it seemed pointless. Also if Hinata were to wake up and call him a different name, it would be awkward trying to explain it.

The man nodded and shouted for his wife, who came rushing through the cabin, a puzzled look upon seeing Sasuke. Her husband filled her in on the details and she smiled deviously at him when spotting Hinata. Something told him that he would be teased on this trip. Lovely.

Sasuke quickly followed Irimi downstairs. It was surprisingly spacious. There were four rooms, and Sasuke was led into the second one on the left. In the room was a small bed and a chair with some books scattered around. Plopping Hinata down on the bed, he thanked the woman before returning back to Yoto.

"Right, let's set sail, Pull that rope their and tie it up," he ordered.

Sasuke obediently followed his instructions while Yoto finished prying them away from the dock. Soon the sail was tight and catching the breeze, propelling the ship forward towards the Land of Water.

He then sat down on the side of the boat, careful not to fall off, while Yoto used the rudder to steer the ship the right way.

Sasuke then struck up a conversation about the old man's life and job.Yoto told him how he had been a fisherman with his father who eventually passed away from old age. He then fell into a deep depression and drank sake consistently. Then one day he stumbled upon Irimi who was a waitress in a inn at the time. They instantly fell in love and his passion for sailing returned to him. Theyhad been giving rides to the island ever since. To Sasuke his life seemed so normal, but Yoto was content with the life he had made lived for himself.

Yoto, of course, eventually asked Sasuke his life story to which he responded that he was a Leaf shinobi helping anyone in need, and that his next destination was the Mist. It wasn't a complete lie. It seemed to satisfy Yoto's curiosity.

After a brief few minutes of silence, Yoto spoke again.

"So how is your friend- Hinata- special to you?"

"She recently helped me out of a kind of depression and decided to follow me around the Lands even though she didn't really have to," Sasuke spoke. He really was grateful for her selfless sacrifice, always putting the needs of others before her own. He admired that. He knew she would probably rather be at home with her friends and family.

Yoto smiled brightly and said, "That's was nice of her. Do you like her?"

Sasuke got flustered slightly. "N-no, she's just special to me. She's a pretty girl and can do far better than a disappointment like me. Besides, she loves someone else."

The man smile wavered slightly and he looked almost sorry.

"You're putting yourself down to much. I didn't think that Irimi would ever go for someone like me. She was perfect in my eyes. But look where I am now, ey? If you like her, fight for her," the old man retorted.

Sasuke smiled at the story. Perhaps he did like the Hyūga girl. She wasn't like other girls who just followed him around the sheep, she was independent, confident, and hardworking. But no, she wouldn't ever go for him. It was best to forget it. He pushed the thought away forcefully and shook his head.

"No," he said simply before returning to his other duties. The sun was nearing it's side of the deal, giving the moon it's chance to glow. The clouds were lit up in shades of oranges and yellows. It was a beautiful sight. Yoto, meanwhile, realised the boy wouldn't change his mind from their talk and resolved to let him figure it out on his own.

"Hey lad, you should get some sleep. There's nothing left to do on deck. I'll be retiring soon, we should reach the Land of Water midday ish tomorrow," shouted the man.

Thankful that the old man had stopped talking about the Hyūga, Sasuke nodded and set off downstairs.

'There's only two bedrooms,' Sasuke thought as he checked the last room, it being a toilet while the other being a small kitchen barely stocked. Sighing he knocked on Hinata's door. He heard stumbling and the door click. Irimi was facing him and seemed tired.

"Yoto told me to get some sleep. You should rest too. Thanks for watching her for me," Sasuke thanked.

"No problem. She hasn't woken up yet and probably won't until tomorrow. I'm going to go check on Yoto, then retire for the night also. Will you sleep with Hinata?"

Sasuke almost choked. "Oh no, I'll take the chair," he whispered, careful not to wake Hinata.

Irimi smirked at him before rushing off up to the top deck. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

Inside the room Hinata was sleeping soundly. The whole height thing had really done a number on her. He couldn't wait for her to wake up so he could tease her about it. She was still wearing her clothes from what he could see, and her katana rested against the wall next to her.

Taking his respective seat in the chair, Sasuke quickly got comfortable and settled down for the night; his cloak keeping him warmer than any blanket ever could. He closed his eyes listening to his companion breathing, it calmed him just like before. Above him he could hear footsteps creaking against the wooden floorboards. Before he knew it, he had fallen into the dark abyss known as sleep.

 **9** **:00 am.**

Hinata shot up from her peaceful slumber as if someone had just slapped her incredibly hard. She could hear creaking every few seconds, as she swayed side to side. Where was she? The bed she was laying in had an ugly pattern on, and no other furniture was present save a somewhat comfy chair. In said chair, Sasuke slept soundly curled up inside Itachi's cloak which was tightly wrapped around him. She smiled, some sense of safety and joy rising in her. She still couldn't remember how she had gotten in this position though. The last thing she could remember was a cliff and a... piggy back?

She twisted to the side, forsaking the warm covers. She missed her real bed already. There were no windows in the room so she couldn't check where she was. Turning around she saw Sasuke, who previously was asleep, now looking at her intently, eyes half closed.

"Sorry," she whispered.

He blinked his tiredness away before rising up shivering from the morning cold.

"Can't be helped," he whispered back.

She gave him a weak smile and asked quietly, "Where are we?" while waving her hands at the room.

"A ship," he said simply, "you fainted when we jumped from the cliff."

Memories resurged. She could remember the ridiculous height of the cliff and Sasuke offering to carry her down. She must have accidently fainted from the shock. Embarrassment bubbled up inside her.

"Not the best habit. We can work on that. Anyway a couple let us aboard as they were going in the direction already. Yoto, and Irimi. They're nice. Thought you were my girlfriend before I corrected them," he revealed solemnly.

Heat rose to her cheeks at being seen in such all position while sleeping. "O-oh."

"We will skip training today as there isn't much space on the deck. We will reach the shore midday ish," he said, walked off.

She didn't know what to do, so she followed him out the door picking up her sword which lay next to her. She noticed four rooms in the hallway. Lanterns glowed, lighting the way for them. Sasuke was in the middle of walking up some stairs up to the top floor. She trailed behind him, following his lead.

On the upper deck she immediately saw a old man and woman sat on a four seater portable table, having breakfast. They spotted them walking over to them.

"Hey lad, oh and your girlfriends woken up too. How'd you sleep, come join us? the old man- Yoto- cheered. She blushed at his words slightly. The woman caught her actions and smiled at her.

"Not my girlfriend I told you. Slept fine," grunted Sasuke.

Hinata bowed and answered, "Thank you for helping me it's really nice of you, we're very grateful."

"Wow, what lovely manners. You're welcome honey," said the old woman- Irimi.

Sasuke sat down at the table looking stoic. Hinata took her place beside him.

"Eat, eat. Can't function on an empty stomach," insisted Yoto.

She thanked them again and helped herself to some toast and berries. Sasuke buttered some bread and ate it. It was probably the best meal she had had so far.

"It's really good," Hinata said.

"Thanks sweetie. I used to be a chef in my mother's café when i was a girl, so I know a thing or too," said Irimi winking at her.

"We should reach the Land of Water in three hours or so. Sasuke I need your help again," conveyed Yoto to which Sasuke nodded. She was suprised he gave them his real name.

"I'll go wash the dishes, dear," said Irimi softly to her husband.

"I'll help," squeaked Hinata.

"Oh no need you're our guests"

"Please I insist, I would feel horrible not helping. My father always taught me to help others," Hinata replied.

"Well OK then. You can help dry if you like," she gave up.

A quick nod and they left for the lower level again.

Entering a room she hadn't seen yet, revealed a small kitchen with few cupboards and a sink. Irimi set to work on the few plates and cutlery, while Hinata accepted the wet dishes and dried them with a cloth. They worked together like some sort of washing machine and soon were done. I couldn't have took more than five minutes to complete. Hinata was happy she could help out, but she now had nothing to do for the remainder of the trip.

"Thanks for the help, honey. What would you like to do now. All they do up there is show off at who can do the most," Irimi said chuckling.

"I don't know what to do?" she said not being able to suppress a chuckle herself. Seeing Sasuke a Yoto having a strength competition in her head was funny indeed.

"I can give you a hair cut if you'd like? You mentioned it while asleep, something about 'not letting down him'."

"O-oh no you've done enough for me already," Hinata replied, embarrassed that she was talking about Sasuke in her sleep.

"Nonsense, sit down, I'll get the scissors. How do you want it cut?"

"J-just s-shorter. Shoulder length. It keeps getting in my eyes."

"Coming right up," exclaimed Irimi.

Hinata hesitantly took a seat that resided in the corner while Irimi went out to get some scissors. Soon Irimi had reappeared clutching a pair of metal scissors and a brush. Hinata then thought about how her hair was looking after sleeping without a wash in the morning. It must look really bad, she thought.

"I used to do this for my daughter twenty years ago," revealed Irimi.

"Where is she? I-if you don't mind me asking."

"She left for a village. The sailing life wasn't for her. She wanted to see the world, not a boat."

"Oh sorry," said Hinata, knowing that she had dug up some sad memories.

"What for? Its isn't your fault," said Irimi as see brushed out her long, tangled hair, straightening it.

"You must miss her," asked Hinata.

"Dearly."

SNIP

"There, finished. Not bad if I say so myself," said Irimi chuffed at her work.

Hinata had been sitting there quietly, since the daughter talk, waiting patiently.

"Let me fetch a mirror from my room," she continued.

She left again, her bun bobbing around. Hinata raised a hand to feel the new haircut. It was shorter than before of course. Irimi bashed through the door with a small, round mirror and some makeup.

"What's the makeup for, Irimi?"

Irimi placed the mirror in front of her to inspect her hair. Her purple locks hung just below her shoulder where previously it reached down her back. Her bangs were slightly shorter and curved in the middle. It made her look more mature. She loved it.

"I love it, thank you so much," she added.

"Well that's good news," Irimi said smugly before cracking into a smirk, "the makeup is for your boyfriend. I'm going to give you a make over. You don't need much since your skin is already perfect. I'm jelous."

Hinata blushed furiously at the thought of trying to purposely look pretty for Sasuke.

"Oh no he doesn't think of me like that," Hinata defended.

"Really? Yoto told me Sasuke had said you were 'pretty'. Please, it'll be funny to see his reaction," pleaded Irimi.

Hinata was always terrible at turning people down. It was a weakness of hers; she hated refusing nice people. Besides, she could use the experience for Naruto later. Yoto had said Sasuke told him she was 'pretty'. This confused her greatly. He couldn't actually like her, could he? He hated nearly everyone. No, it wasn't possible.

"O-ok then," Hinata gave in, causing Irimi to smile widely.

For the next half an hour Irimi applied lip gloss to thicken her lips, eye liner to show off her apparent 'beautiful eyes', and a small amount of concealer giving her a fuller look. She checked the mirror once again and her jaw dropped. She loved what she saw more than she thought she would before doing the experiment. She admitted she looked really good and mature. She would surely catch Naruto's eye like this, but first, she had to show it off to Sasuke... What would he say?

"You look gorgeous! Come on let's show the boys," grinned Irimi, jumping from excitement. She mustn't get much happening around anymore.

Hinata smiled nervously and followed the woman upstairs. Her heart beat furiously fast in her chest. She didn't know why.

Upon arriving on the top deck she noticed that they were mooring at the jetty to the Land of Water; they had arrived. Secondly she noticed Sasuke and Yoto lowering a heavy anchor to keep the ship in place. Suddenly a loud noise made her jump and the others turn towards her. Irimi had pulled the horn. Her face flushed again.

She waited for their reactions with a straight face. Yoto was the first to react. A huge smile crossed his face and he gave his wife thumbs up.

"You look great Hinata," Yoto shouted, clapping Sasuke on the back.

They then all looked at Sasuke. She couldn't read him at all. His visible eye was as wide as a Hippos jaw, and his cheeks were stained a bright red and pink.

"Uh uh...," he mumbled, stuttering on his words like she normally did, before turning around and walking onto the jetty where he carried on till he was out of sight. Hinata instantly regretted her actions and tried to figure out what she had done wrong. Then a chorus of laughter broke her out of her misery. Yoto and Irimi were both bent over laughing. She immediately thought she had been set up, before Yoto said something that suprised her.

"Did you see the look on his face! He was speechless! Good job, Irimi. You can tell he was completely overwhelmed."

She then saw Sasuke's reaction in a new light. He hadn't disapproved, he had blushed and ran off to avoid embarrassing himself. She felt her own blush become even more visible.

"Come on Hinata, let's go find him. We have business in the Mist too. We'll accompany you," Yoto exclaimed and lept up to the jetty with his wife waiting for her to join them.

She shook her head to shake the thoughts out of her mind and nervously followed closely behind them to search for Sasuke.

The Dock for the Land of Water completely overshadowed the previous one. Hundreds of ships of all sizes littered the sea, and sailors could be seen everywhere. The sun was directly above them signaling it was midday and there were a multitude of bird species flying around the cloudy sky. The smell of fish and food wafted into her nose as she continued down the jetty towards a stone pathway that led to a stone staircase up the cliff side.

Next stop, the Mizukage tower.

 **Thanks for taking the time to read and thanks for your amazing reviews. Suggestions are still welcome if you'd like to see something specific. The actual helping arc starts very soon.**

 **~UE**


	5. Bandits

Kirigakure, the Village Hidden in the Mist, definitely lived up to its name. It was completely different from Konohagakure, Hinata's home Village, which was warm, open, and friendly. The buildings in the Leaf were more modern, but that was due to it having to be rebuilt after the attack from Pain which devastated the Leaf, she supposed. She shuddered at the thought of Pain, the leader of the Akatsuki, who had given her more than a few nightmares.

Kirigakure was the epitome of a Rustic environment. The whole village was surrounded by towering monoliths that watched over the citizens day and night. Buildings were made out of pure stone bricks which weren't very colourful, making the village seem rather dull. On top of most homes, Hinata realised, were gardens of green grass and few flowers. It gave some life to the stone settlement. Everything seemed to be in order with boring shapes of squares and rectangles, though there was the occasional archway. And of course the village was blanketed in a thick layer of mist at all times. It made the air incredibly moist, looking like a snake trying to slither it's way around the place seeping through anyplace it could.

The people weren't the nicest you could meet. She had asked three where the Mizukage Tower was and they had all pointed and grunted for her to 'go away'. She stopped asking, eventually getting the message. Still it could be worse. They had gained entry easy enough, the active guards quickly let Hinata through due to orders from Kakashi, but Yoto and Irimi had some more trouble, though they were eventually let in aswell. She noted that the gates didn't have any welcoming speeches like Konoha did, etched into the door.

When they had left the boat to find Sasuke after he had stormed off, they made it up to the top of the cliff only to notice he was nowhere around. She used her Byakugan discreetly, not wanting to frighten her hosts, and saw that he had left her to carry on by himself. It was going to be an awkward reunion. When she told Yoto where Sasuke was, he mentioned he was just being an idiot and would be sorry later. Hinata doubted that. An Uchiha apologising?

"This is where we part ways, Hinata," Yoto said regretfully, "If you ever need us we'll be in the restaurant 'Mist Fish' every Saturday, it's our favourite place to visit while we're here."

"O-oh," Hinata whispered averting her eyes then remembering her manners said, "Thank you for all you've done, including the haircut Irimi. I'm sure Sasuke is grateful aswell. We'll be sure to visit again."

Nods all around. Irimi smiled at her sweetly. Hinata didn't want to leave them after all they had done, but she needed to desperately find Sasuke. Turning, the Married Sailors strolled off hand in hand in no particular direction. Watching them leave, Hinata steeled her resolve tightly.

Looking up distantly, she could see the Mizukage tower. It was the biggest building by far, probably bigger than their own Kage tower. She could only see half of it, the other half invisible behind the multitude of houses in her superb vision.

She spirited off towards her destination desperate to catch up to her mission partner. Running, she cast her mind back to the ship when Sasuke had ran off. He had blushed furiously and was apparently lost for words. She had never seen that happen to him before. Sure he was quiet sometimes, but he was chatty all the other times. Especially in his cell when they talked about their respective lives. Hinata seriously regretted having Irimi apply makeup to her face. She didn't often put makeup on as she didn't really need it. But still, that blush, what did it mean?

While sprinting she spotted a restaurant and decided that it would be best to wash off the makeup. It would be stupid wearing it for the mission anyway. Quickly asking if she could use the bathroom, she locked herself in and stopped to catch her breath. It was a simple white, pristine bathroom with a toilet, mirror, and sink. Looking in the mirror, she examined her face again, more closely this time. It was a good look for her, but she preferred her natural face. It reminded her of the dream about her and Sasuke as adults, but she dropped the thought instantly. Hinata turned on the tap and the crystal water poured out, wetting her hands. She splashed her face a couple times which removed most of it, while the rest she removed with some paper towels. She looked at herself again, nodding in approval, and checked out her brand new shoulder length purple hair. That was something she did approve of. It would also help in her spars with Sasuke. Speaking of the Uchiha boy, he must be getting frustrated waiting this long for her to catch up. She rushed outside, almost tripping over, apologising to people she collided with.

 **Meanwhile.**

Sasuke stood at the base of the tower, waiting for a certain someone. It had been nearly an hour since he had seen her after rushing off like a escaped convict. 'I must of looked like a idiot,' he blamed. He had just been helping out lowering the damn anchor for the ship, how was he supposed to know Hinata would appear wearing... that! He noticed right away her shorter hair which he appreciated as it allowed for easier combat, but them his eyes rested on the rest of her face. Not once, he didn't think, had he seen Hinata in any makeup of any kind. She looked angelic standing their all innocent and shy. He would never admit it though. Besides, what was she thinking doing that just before their meeting with the Mizukage.

Sasuke groaned as he felt the familiar chakra presence racing towards him. He looked up from his feet and spotted her among the small crowd. He noticed that Yoto and Irimi had left her. It wasn't surprising, Yoto had told him he would accompany them into the Village before leaving for a certain resturant. The second thing he noticed was that she had removed her makeup. That at least gave him some comfort.

Her lavender eyes sought out his onyx ones and they locked onto each other. She came to a stop a few feet away, looking up at the building behind him. It was a tall building, but it was nothing special.

"Move. We're late," he stated, devoid of emotion.

She opened her lips to say something before thinking better of it and nodded once. He motioned to the stone door next to him and she followed. By the door stood two Kirigakure ninja wearing matching grey uniforms with the villages headband around each of their waists. They took one look at him before forming a sign with one hand. The stone door in front of him then miraculously slid upwards and held its position. Sasuke admitted that it was a good way to keep people out; better than a wooden door anyway.

Sasuke strode in not carrying if he was allowed or not. He wasn't one for formalities.

Sasuke remembered briefly how he and the Mizukage had last met. He had just attacked the Kage summit and interrupted an important discussion, ending up clashing with the mysterious brunette. She had some interesting kekkei genkei: Lava and Boil, if he remembered rightly. Not bad.

Behind him, Hinata asked quietly, "S-Sasuke-kun, can we t-talk?"

"No," he replied. He wasn't in the mood for a chat after 'that'. It was better to forget it. Hinata didn't speak up after his answer.

Once they made it to the Mizukage's office, another two ninjas made themselves known, though this time they were Mist Anbu.

"This area is off limits, what is your business here?" one of them said sternly.

"We are here on the Hokage's orders. Sent to help out," Sasuke said. Definitely not in the mood for talking.

The two stared him down still critical on their decision to let him in. Just as he was getting mad, they spoke up. "You may enter."

Not bothering to dignify them with a response, Sasuke pushed past them and swang open the metal plated door. Inside was the Mizukage- Mei for those that knew her- addressing a blue haired man with an eyepatch. She noticed them instantly as they walked through the door and grinned, sending a shiver down his spine. "You're dismissed Ao," she mentioned to the man. He bowed and eyed him wearily before huffing off. Sasuke stopped in front of her desk. The Mizukage wore a dark blue dress and her impossibly long, brown hair, flowed down her back and fell onto her chair. Her emerald eyes watched him curiously. Sasuke kept his emotionless mask on. He didn't bother taking a seat. Hinata was bowing next to him. Why was she always so nice to everyone?

"Sasuke Uchiha, I presume," she smiled standing up aswell, "Kakashi has informed me that you are here to help in any way to... atone."

"I am"

"Excellent! It's nice to have a dashing young man around to help out. Getting straight to business, there have been multiple attempted attacks from a group of Chunin level bandits just south of the Village. If you can rectify my little problem, I'd be happy to accommodate you for the time being?" the Mizukage ordered, making him raise an eyebrow in annoyance. He had to prove that he could help her, what a stupid idea. Still it couldn't be helped.

"Of course. I'll get right on that," he answered, boredom overcoming him.

"And Hinata Hyūga, Kakashi has told me of your arrival too. My what a pretty girl. Tell me why have you accompanied Sasuke on his journey," Mei smirked.

"Y-Yes Mizukage-sama. I just want to help Sasuke-kun out because he's my f-friend and I need to get stronger," Hinata stuttered, shyly. So Hinata thought of him as a friend aswell? That was good, he supposed.

"Because he's your friend? Must be some friend leaving your family behind"

"Y-yes," Hinata repeated.

"Well if your quite done, I'm going to go deal with your little problem," Sasuke interjected.

"Of course. Good luck then," Mei answered. That smug smirk of hers annoyed him greatly.

He turned to leave, noticing Hinata still standing there. "Coming, Hyūga?" She snapped out of her haze quickly. "Yes," she said yet again.

South. Sasuke looked up at the sky, barely being able to make out the sun due to all the damn mist. It was the afternoon so he knew it was going down. Since the sun set West that must mean... "That way," he finished, catching Hinata's attention. She followed his eyes and nodded her affirmation. He picked up his pace to get to their desired location as quickly as possible.

 **1 Mile Due South.**

With a quick redirection of chakra, Sasuke's right eye blared to life. His onyx eyes span around shifting to a deadly crimson red. His Sharingan bore holes into the nearby enemies. His eyes ached slightly after being unused for such a long period of time. Sasuke didn't even think about switching on his Eternal Mangekyó Sharingan, they weren't worth its time. His Rinnegan was still active, but that didn't count, he couldn't turn it off. It seemed to have somehow merged with his Sharingan.

"Thirteen. You take the left half, I'll take the right," Sasuke said, wasting no time on precautions. They were in a cave just South of the Mist. It hadn't taken long to reach it and once they did, it was obvious where the bandits were making camp. Their chakra was easy to read, not to mention incredibly lacking. This would be child's play for him. The cave had just enough light from torches hanging on the walls. Bats could be seen hanging upside down minding their own business, and on the ground were tents and a whole host of weapons. Swords, Kunai, Shurikan, you name it they had it.

"I don't know if I can take on that many at once," Hinata moaned.

"You'll do fine. Remember the promise I made to Hiashi," Sasuke reminded her.

"O-ok then"

"Scatter," he whispered.

They sprang into action, leaping off the ledge they had been residing on. He landed on the cave floor without a sound and unsheathed his Katana: Pitch. He could hear Hinata breathing heavily, but still behind him. She unsheathed her Katana as well catching the eyes of the thirteen bandits.

"We're under attack," someone shouted, alerting everyone else in the perimeter. What a loudmouth! There goes their element of suprise. Bats squeaked awake and flapped their wings to move away from the battlefield. If it could be called that.

Breaking off from Hinata, he ran to the right- his half. By now the men and fewer women had taken up arms at the sound off the mans shouting. They all had their eyes narrowed on him looking at his blood red eye. That was stupid of them.

Taken advantage of their lack of knowledge to 'never look an Uchiha in the eyes', Sasuke managed to put two enemies under a genjutsu where they were in a never ending prison. He wasn't as good as Itachi, but he wasn't a push over either. Now for the remaining six.

"Don't look into his eyes," a woman screeched. At least they had got the message, but it made his job a little harder.

Next up was a bold, burly man who held a gigantic battle mace with one hand. the man swung his mace downwards trying to club him in the skull. Now that wasnt something he wanted! Sasuke kicked himself sideways spinning around and ran his chakra down the Katana igniting it in Lightning. With the lightning coated blade, Sasuke sliced through the handle of the mace causing the spiked ball to drop to the floor. The mans face was laughable. Sasuke slammed his knee into the mans stomach and he fell like a sack of potatoes clutching his stomach and retching. Five.

Tracking his eyes for his next victim, Sasuke narrowly dodged a boulder flying at him. It smashed into the wall behind him making a torch go out. The jutsu had came from a woman who was being covered by another man. The skinnier, blonde man finished a seal and a roar of fire came shooting towards Sasuke. He could easily absorb it using the Rinnegan, but he hadn't had a proper fight for ages.

Digging up some chakra, Sasuke created water out of thin air since their was no source around. He shaped it into a huge wave and it easily dispersed the fire ball. Steam shot out from the collision making the two bandits blind. Sasuke though, of course, could see their blue chakra clear as day. It wasn't as good as the Byakygan for seeing through things, but it worked better than everyone else's normal eyes.

Running into them without a sense of any danger, Sasuke slammed his palm into the woman's face so that she couldn't use another annoying Earth Style Jutsu. She fell unconscious. The man bared his teeth at him, but he didn't feel the least bit threatened. The man fished out a kunai, coated it in fire and chucked it towards him. Sasuke deflected it behind him but caught on to a miniscule string attached to it. Far to small for a regular eye. Before the man could redirect the kunai at him, Sasuke severed the string and caught the kunai with his blade. It slid down the blade through the kunai's hole and Sasuke swung it backwards towards its owner. He changed the trajectory a inch so that it wouldn't kill the idiot. The mans green eyes widened at the danger and tried to move out of its way. The kunai missed it's original target but struck the man's bicep, puncturing it. The man started balling before fainting. Three.

Sasuke was growing increasingly bored by their tries as he knocked out another bandit, leaving two remaining. They were no where near Naruto's level, and since Naruto was arguably the only ninja to be able to surpass Sasuke, they hadn't a chance in hell.

The two remaining were backed up against the wall. One woman and a young girl. Sasuke sort off felt sorry that the girl had been caught up in this life. The woman, who was previously scared, was now enraged at the sight of her comrades falling all around her like mere flies. She pulled out her own short sword from her back and charged at him. He sheathed his Katana deciding to have some fun instead. When the woman was within lunging range he gave himself a quick burst of chakra and flash stepped away. The woman immediately stopped and looked perplexed. He reappeared behind his attacker tripping her over with a stroke of his foot while grabbing the sword from her hand. He threw it away an it impaled the wall harshly.

Sasuke then turned to the last bandit. The little boy. He was perhaps seven, nine at most? He stared into the girls soul with his Sharingan trying to scare the life out of her. It did the trick and soon the girl was crying and on her side, Sasuke noticed a wet patch on her trousers.

Now that they were all cleaned up he turned to Hinata who he had completely forgotten about. She was down to two left. He watched her, trying to see how she fought. It would help their training later on.

Her style was unique. She had her Byakugan active and she gently tapped one of the mans legs causing it to sag uselessly and the man to collapse under his own weight. With his Sharingan, Sasuke could see chakra that refused to go into the mans damaged leg. Interesting indeed. She quicky knocked the maimed man out and moved on to the final enemy in the cave, besides the girl.

The man had a scar over his left eye and had short, unkempt, brown hair. The man dropped dropped his kunai and lunged at Hinata, who hit him square in the jaw. Sasuke smirked slightly. Suddenly, the man burst apart, turning into gooey water before evaporating away into nothing.

Sasuke's eyes blared back to life, but before he had time to spot the man, he had risen from the ground and sliced at Hinata- who looked visibly shocked by his disappearance- with another kunai.

Rage filled him rapidly against his better judgement. He appeared next to the man and disarmed him with a quick jab. Sasuke then flung his hand around the mans throat and backed up towards a cave wall. The man was struggling desperately, trying to free himself from the deadly head lock. Seconds later his face turned purple and he lost all consciousness. Sasuke reluctantly let the man drop to the floor unmoving. He would have loved to kill the man, but because of Kakashi's damn seal, he couldn't.

"I'm so weak," whispered a voice behind him.

Hinata. He had forgotten about her in the fit of rage. He spins around to find her on the floor caressing her cheek. Flash stepping back to her he kneeled down to assess the damage.

"Let me see," he commands, softly.

"Weak...," she says again.

"Weak? You're not weak, Hyūga. You've just fought people who you had no idea of their abilities. I was the one not thinking straight. Besides once I'm finished training you, you'll be the strongest ninja in all the village," he states, trying to comfort her. It earns him a happy giggle.

"Now, let me see. I can heal it"

"I didn't know you could heal, Sasuke-kun"

"I learnt the basics from Karin and went from there. I wasn't to hard," he replied, moving her hand out of the way.

On her right cheek was a small diagonal gash going from her chin to her ear. He felt rage again but bottled it up. He places his hand on her cheek and draws on his vast chakra reserves. His hand lights up green.

"Karin?" she asks confused.

Right, he hadn't mentioned his old team to anyone. "She was in a group of four I formed back when I was angry at Itachi. The Taka"

"O-oh. At least you had friends with you," she smiles at him.

"I didn't treat them very well. Always getting too angry or demanding something from them. I'm suprised they even stayed with me to be honest," he says, quietly. It was true.

"Because you were their friend," she replies before continuing very quietly, "Sasuke-kun are you angry at me for something"

He frowns then casts his mind back. He had been relatively rude to her and Mei in the Mizukage tower. He'd been stupid again.

"No," he says averting his eyes, not wanting to believe the truth.

"Then w-why...," she asks.

"I wasn't angry at you, I was mad at myself," he says, closing his eyes.

Now it was her turn to frown. "Yourself? Why?"

"I was angry that I... Never mind, it isn't important," he finishes, dodging the question.

He cuts off the jutsu knowing it to be done, but doesn't remove his hand from her cheek. He deactivates his Sharingan, eyes turning onyx yet again, and meets Hinata's perfect, lavender eyes. Sasuke stares at her face intently. Her skin was so soft to his rough, tired hands--

"Sasuke-kun?"

Hinata's voice pulls him out of his daze and he scolds himself yet again. Stupid Sasuke! He returns to his feet, removing his hand. She looks at him with curiosity in her eyes. She then touches her cheek where it was previously marked up. Good as new. He wasn't too bad of a medic.

"I-It feels the same as before. Thank you Sasuke-kun," Hinata says gratefully.

"Only my best work. And Hyūga, I'll try not to be an dick and ignore you again. Sorry." There he had apologised. It was harder than he thought, but it was the right thing to do.

Hinata leans her head to the side and smiles widely. God she was pretty. "T-Thanks. I didn't think you apologised to anyone?" she laughs.

"I don't, but you're not anyone," he answers honestly, earning another smile from her.

"S-Shall we leave?"

"Yeah, let's go. We need to report to the Mizukage," Sasuke replied.

They begin to walk off before a crying voice shocks his world to the core. "Help me."

They both spin around trying to locate the miserable voice, he and Hinata taking up fighting stances yet again. Nothing.

"Am I going crazy?" he asks, eyebrows raised.

Another pause. "Over there! It's a kid!".

Oh yeah. He had totally forgotten the eight ish year old girl. He figured she'd be asleep from crying her eyes out by now. Hinata raced over to her and helped her up onto her shaking knees. Sasuke followed loosely behind.

"Are you OK? Whats your name? How old are you?" Hinata asks, looking visibly frightened.

"M-Maruu, m-miss. I'm j-just nine," she says, struggling to get the words out.

"What are doing here, Maruu?" Hinata asks again.

"She was with the bandits, let's go," Sasuke interjects.

"Sasuke-kun! We can't leave a child here, are you nuts? Maruu, why are you here with the bandits? Where's your mother?" Hinata scolds him. Sasuke swiftly shuts himself up after the telling off. She could be scary when it suited too it seemed.

Hinata pulls the girl into a hug, soothing her slowly.

"I-I don't k-know where s-she is, miss. These p-people took me when we left m-my village. Please help me. I'll do anything," Maruu pleads, still crying into Hinata's shoulder.

"Is the Mist village your home?"

"Y-yes. Me and mother have a s-small house there."

"Come with us, we'll take you home. Your safe now. You'll mother will be so worried about you," Hinata replies and turns around. This looked familiar.

"Here you can rest on my back. You need sleep. We'll be back home soon, OK?" Hinata adds.

"T-thank you so much, miss," the girl exclaims, her crying stops but her sad face remains. Maruu hops on to Hinata's back and clutches tightly before resting her head and closing her eyes. They stay still for a while until they can hear her breath softly.

She had fallen asleep.

"We need to go now, Sasuke-kun. Slower this time, we don't want to wake up Maruu," she whispers as to not wake her from her slumber.

"Yeah, yeah. Follow me," he grumbles.

They exit the cavern, making sure to walk slowly this time. The moon had risen up since going inside. It's face beaming moonlight down on them; it looked heavenly. Now that he was looking at it, it kind of reminded him of Hinata's lavender eyes.


	6. Maruu

Thunder roared, deafening Hinata as its partner in crime, lightning, lights up the sky in a battle of immovable object meeting an unstoppable force. The darkness being the unstoppable force, of course. She and Sasuke traversed the many wet hills as there was no path from the cave to the village. She couldn't exactly run or jump with Maruu clinging on to her. It reminded her of when Sasuke gave her a piggy back. It was still kind of embarrassing, but she couldn't think of that now, her focus was entirely on the pale young girl. When she had spotted Maruu in the cave crying her eyes out, her heart broke. Her hair was black with a streak of white in her fringe, although it was hard to spot it since she was covered in dirt and grime. She was just wearing tight, black shorts and a grey hooded jumper. Hinata couldn't even believe that those horrible people had actually kidnapped a girl and forcibly removed her from her mother like that. Maruu must be absolutely freezing in this cold.

Sasuke seemed the complete opposite with his warm cloak wrapped around him. He had suddenly stopped talking to her much since the boat incident and was particularly rude to the Mizukage and herself. In the cave he had opened up a little bit more about his time... before. But he had said that he wasn't angry at her, but at himself, though he refused to tell her why. Hinata noticed his dodging of the question by she didn't push him. She liked knowing about him, and pushing him might make him close back up again.

One thing did stick out to her though. When he had finished healing her- she knew he was done- he had kept his hand on her cheek and stared into her eyes intently. It left her a little breathless but she had no idea why. She would have to get him to open up again. Maybe it was his way of thanking her?

In the distance she could see glowing lights emanating from the misty village. The Mizukage seemed like a nice woman, but was a little forward. Calling Sasuke 'dashing' was a little over the top for a respectable Kage.

There was little to no noise to be heard over the thunder and lightning. Hinata guessed most people had retired into their stone homes to escape the weather. Hinata had always liked thunder, it was interesting to see where the next lightning strike would hit, but right now it was unwelcome as it was simply too noisy.

She felt her katana, Dawn, rattle on her hip making her think back to fighting the bandits. She had done well all the way up until the final scarred man. Sasuke did his best telling her she was just unprepared, but it still didn't shake the feeling of being a little useless in comparison to the limitless Uchiha's power. She had glanced him during her fight and saw him react easily to everything, not even blinking in the face of danger. He'd even sheathed his sword just for fun. Hinata promised herself she would become just as strong so she could make him proud of her.

Hinata crouched carefully under a tree branch that jutted out, and found herself finally in front of the Mist Village's high walls.

"Here, let me carry her, it'll be easier," Sasuke said out of the blue. She wanted to protest, but she had no idea how she was going to jump over the wall holding Maruu. She nods and pries Maruu off of her incredibly slowly. She catches her before she falls and hand hers over to Sasuke who carries her in a bridal style hold. Maruu stirs slightly, but is quicky shushed back to sleep by Sasuke.

Then, Sasuke unexpectedly starts placing his feet vertically on the wall followed by another, and another. He was channeling his chakra into his feet allowing him to walk up the wall. Why didn't she think of that? He carefully positions Maruu so that she doesn't think she's falling. Hinata catches up to him by jumping halfway and sticking to the wall for the rest. Now being lighter she felt more free.

Doing the same for the opposite side, they both make it into the Village. Hinata was right; there were maybe two or three people outside, for some reason, while everyone else seemed to be indoors. They walk past an inn on the way it's name being 'The Cracked Ship', inside she could hear many deep voices laughing heartily and, she guessed, drinking a lot of sake. Profanity was being thrown around like a beach ball making Hinata cringe slightly. She was told never to dirty her mouth with such words by her father, so Hinata never did.

The Mizukage tower's interior was littered with paintings of many different places, most bright and clear unlike the Mist. They paced themselves up the stairs with Sasuke not moving his arms but keeping them perfectly still. Two Anbu were again at the Mizukage's door, although they had different masks. A Boar and a Toad. Hinata could see their impassive eyes flitting after them behind the emotionless mask.

"We need to see the Mizukage now. It's urgent. Please," Hinata pleaded. This time they open the door without hesitating leaving an open room in its wake. The Mizukage was sitting at her wooden desk stamping a huge of papers, looking to be on the verge of sanity. Paperwork- the bane of a Kage's existence. She looked up at them only for her new smirk to be replaced by a look of horror.

"Oh no, what happened?" she demanded.

"A-After we stopped the group of bandits, we found her lying there crying. She said she lived here," Hinata replied desperately.

"Did she happen to mention her name or anything regarding her absence?"

"Y-yes, she said it was Maruu. She also mentioned being forcibly taken," Hinata uttered.

The Mizukage nodded, "Maruu," she whispered. She then went to a cabinet in the corner and yanked out a folder. "Reported crimes," she motioned to the book. She flicks through the book with a shred of hope. Then she lands on a seemingly random page and her hope withers and dies. Hinata's own resolve takes a hit.

"What? What is it?" she dares to ask.

Mei gulps and deflates. "Maruu Sintary. Daughter of Lucy Sintary, who was found deceased by a destroyed cart a month ago Her father Arima Sintary died when she was just two."

Hinata stared at the book, the words not sinking in. "Can y-you repeat that"

"Her mother is gone. Maruu is an orphan. I'm sorry," Mei responded.

"A-are you sure. Maybe you've got it wrong," Hinata cries trying to convince herself. Maruu didn't deserve this fate.

"She's gone, Hyūga. We need to get her some medical attention to see if she's alright," Sasuke says, his face still emotionless. She hated seeing him like this.

Hinata broke down at his words knowing them to be true deep down, no matter how much she wanted to deny it.

"Y-yes I agree, take her downstairs, the second door. It's a small hospital ward for emergencies. Make sure she's OK then come back, I'll stay with Hinata," the Mizukage commanded softly, not allowing Hinata her own opinion on the matter. Not that she could form one. She was at a loss for words at the moment.

Her heart broke again.

 **Hospital wing.**

Sasuke found the room as quickly as possible mulling over Mei's words. An Orphan just like him. He knew it was the worst thing to happen to a child, especially at that age. His own mother and father died when he was young too.

Sasuke sets Maruu down on the only stretcher in the room. There were two nurses around him fumbling to do something, anything.

"She was with a group of bandits for around a month, can you check if she's alright. I'll return in a minute. I need to report to the Mizukage," Sasuke commanded.

"Yes, yes, we'll see if she's OK," one blonde nurse responded as she preforms a simple check up jutsu.

Sasuke nodded once thankful and leaves again to return back up to Mei's office. He didn't particularly want to leave. Breaking the news to Maruu was going to be incredibly difficult and heart wrenching. Sasuke enters Mei's office finding the two women conversing. They were sat on a sofa against a wall. Hinata was still crying silently while Mei calmed her down. Mei acknowledged him swiftly before returning to Hinata.

"She's still asleep but I'm not sure how you're going to tell her," Sasuke interjected into their conversation.

"Good. Me either. She'll have to put into a orphanage," Mei answered.

"No you can't do that!" Hinata exclaimed, "She doesn't deserve that. Let me look after her while we stay in the Mist. I can tell her when it's right"

"I agree...," Sasuke says, surprising both of them. He suprises even himself. "I know how hard it is to grow up without a family. At least with Hinata for the time being, she'll be well looked after. More than an orphanage"

"I'm not sure...," Mei mumbled.

"P-please!" Hinata pleaded.

"If you're prepared for it, I can arrange it. I'll set up a apartment for you while you continue to help out. Is that acceptable?"

"It is!"

"OK then, if you're completely sure. I'll get the papers later. Meanwhile, with the bandits?"

"They're dealt with. They won't attack again," Sasuke conveyed.

"Good job," Mei said, "We've had reports of an illegal underground ring happening somewhere, but we're not sure where or when. Can you deal with it?"

"Consider it done. I'll get on it tomorrow," Sasuke replied.

"OK then," Mei turned to Hinata, "I assume you want to sit with Maruu. I'll bring the paperwork later"

"T-thank you! Let's go, Sasuke-kun," Hinata thanks, before practically sprinting away.

Sasuke followed on her heels. In no time they made it downstairs into the hospital ward. Maruu was awake and reading a hard back book, seemingly fine.

"We've checked her over, nothing is amiss, just some malnourishment, but that can be easily fixed eating well," a nurse told them. Hinata thanks them and they leave just after.

"Hey Maruu," Hinata says, sitting down in after chair next to her.

"Hey, miss. Is mummy coming soon? The nurses said I'm fine," Maruu said innocently. She places the book on a drawer.

"Maruu, your... your mother had to go away for a while, but she has asked me to look after you," Hinata smiles sweetly.

Maruu looks none the wiser and nods her head frantically. "OK, miss. Can we leave now?"

"In a minute, Maruu. And call me Hinata, ok? This is Sasuke. He's a good friend of mine."

"Like a boyfriend?"

Sasuke snorts quietly and waits for Hinata's reaction. Her face flushes tomato and she stutters, "N-no! Just a friend."

"Oh, ok, Hinata"

"Hinata, here's the paperwork," Mei buts in while closing the door behind her. She hands over a piece of paper in a binder. "I just need a signature. The village will provide you with all you need while your here. Sasuke too please" Hinata signs the paper with her full name. Her writing is beautifully neat and cursive, she then holds it out to him.

He signs it reluctantly, not really knowing what he's getting himself into.

"Now that's done, the apartment is six blocks away, number twenty seven. I'm sorry if it's a bit cramped but it's all we could procure," Mei responded, taking the papers back and checking them over. She then hands Hinata a gold key, and Hinata bows while Mei returns the gesture in kind.

"Come on them Maruu. Let's go see our new place, yeah?" Hinata says, mimicking eagerness. It would probably take a while for her to get over it he presumed. Hinata holds out her hand.

"Yay. No more boring hospital," Maruu says excitedly. She grabs Hinata's hand giggling. Hinata leaves the ward being dragged out by Maruu. Sasuke trails behind, watching them both.

They make it to apartment number twenty seven quick enough. It was a one floor small home. Bushes surrounded the stone building and steps led up to the red door. Sasuke could see a flash of green on the flat roof. He climbs the steps, pushes the key firmly into the lock, and turns it clockwise. The mechanism clicks quietly and the door swings open.

Inside, he was immediately greeted by a kitchen stocked with, probably, a weeks worth of decent food. To the right was a living room housing a black sofa and many bookcases. It had a window looking into the darkness outside. Sasuke stifles a yawn. In the back was two rooms next to each other, each one having a bed and it's own en suite bathroom. The walls were all painted white, and the carpet was a rich brown. All in all, it wasn't a bad apartment. Sasuke had worse in the Leaf when younger, though he supposed he was going to have to get used to sleeping on the sofa. Ugh.

Maruu yawns loudly from having a rough night. "Let's get to bed, Maruu. It's really late," Hinata utters.

"OK! I want this one... No wait, that one,"

"Alright then, do you need help getting to sleep?"

"Nope, I'm a big girl!"

"You sure are. Go on then, I need some sleep as well. We can talk some more tomorrow," Hinata adds, waving Maruu off into her room. She turns to him next. "Will you be doing that mission tomorrow?"

"Yes. I'll start it in the morning. Try and catch word of where it's happening. After, we can start some more training. We've put it off for a while now. Though with the kid, it will be harder," Sasuke answers, truthfully.

"I didn't want her in an orphanage by herself, I can still train whenever Sasuke-kun. I made a promise to become stronger and I will fulfill it."

"I understand. Night," he replies flatly. She really was incredibly determined that girl.

"Night. Did you want the other room," Hinata asks shyly.

"What sort of gentleman would I be doing that. I'm fine on the sofa, Hyūga. Now get some sleep," he orders playfully. He gets a sweet smile in return and a nod before she joins Maruu in blissful sleep.

Sasuke flops down heavily on the sofa, not bothering to undress. He needed to be ready for the morning. Perhaps he could catch wind of the location by eavesdropping? That was probably his best bet. Before long Sasuke drops asleep, letting his long deserved rest take him.

 **Morning.**

Sasuke was amazed that people where still in the inn this early. He had just about woken up getting little sleep himself. Still, it would help if the men were really drunk so he could find out where the underground ring was. He still didn't know what they where doing. Was it fighting. Drugs? It didn't matter too much, he just needed a lead so he could start back up Hinata's training again. She was still asleep when he checked on her, Maruu too. They both seemed peaceful and plenty tired.

'The Cracked Ship', the inn was called. Sasuke walked in and was assaulted by the smell of alcohol. He never really had the time to indulge in sake before, so he wasn't ready for the smell. Cigarette smoke flew around the place making it nearly as cloudy as outside. The bar lady was cleaning glasses and drinking her own cup of sake. The customers, the majority being men, were sat at stalls and tables, surrounded by glasses, laughing obnoxiously. A few turned when they saw him and Sasuke felt on the spot, but they soon went back to drowning their sorrows as it was more important.

Sasuke spotted a card game going on in the corner of the inn. Playing, were five men also drinking alcohol. Perhaps he could get one of them to slip up? He strolled over to the table and saw they were playing poker.

"Room for one more?" Sasuke asks making them turn towards him.

"Beat it, boy!" one of them slurred.

Right, he should have known it would have taken more than that. He reached into his pockets pulling out all that was left of his forty seven ryo. He could get more from Mei when he finished the mission. He didn't need it too much.

"Are you sure?" Sasuke asks again, flashing the ryo. It wasn't much, but to the drunk idiots it was most likely enough.

"Fine," one spat, "Take a seat. Know how to play?"

"Sure. I'd like information though if I win."

"Yea whatever, your loss," another slurred.

Sasuke calmly takes a seat between two big men. Both had underdeveloped chakra networks, so Sasuke guessed they weren't ninja. Perfect.

He gets dealt some cards and pulls them close to his face to look at. It was a decent draw. Luck must be on his side, and with a little misdirection this could be done easily.

Twenty minutes later Sasuke lays his winning cards down on the table with a smirk. He had mastered the art of showing no emotion on his face when he was younger. It made poker a breeze. The other players around him were grumbling and throwing him dirty looks, but they were too drunk to start a fight and win.

"I win. Now I'd like to know about a certain underground ring. Where it is or when it's happening?" Sasuke says.

"Underground ring? We don't know nothin' like that, we just work down at the mine," a man shouts.

Sasuke scowls. Just great, what a waste of time. Sasuke gets up without acknowledging them, pocketing some money he had won. He had doubled his original ryo. They look up to protest but stop and start up another game. Looks like he would have to resort to plan B: find the worse criminal around and put him under a genjutsu.

As Sasuke was contemplating this, a voice whispers to him from the bar. "Underground ring, eh?". Sasuke jolts over to look at the voice. A man. He has black hair and was younger than most in the inn. Maybe late twenties. He was sat smirking at Sasuke clutching a glass of sake.

Sasuke walks over to him suspiciously and takes the stool next to the young man.

"Do you know it?" Sasuke questions.

"Might do"

"Tell me"

"I can't remember much. My memory see," the man jeers. He holds out his hand and rubs his fingers together. Sasuke scowls, handing over some winnings keeping half for himself.

"Not bad," he says nodding, "Yeah I know of it. It's a society of criminals that meet up every now and again. Collect special ninjas and sell them off. Drugs and all there, why do you want to find it."

"Special ninjas? When's the next meet up?"

"Three days at midnight. I'm not sure where exactly it is but I know the entrance is hidden inside a house somewhere," the man replies.

Three days. That would be OK, he could get some training in and prepare longer. But the entrance, perhaps he could tail a man and find it somehow?

"Got it, thanks for the information," Sasuke finishes and rushes off to the Mizukage tower.

 **Mei's office.**

"Is this source credible?" the Mizukage asks roughly.

"I don't think he was lying, and it's the only lead I could find, it's worth checking out," Sasuke replies.

"Indeed, I agree. I'd like for you to infiltrate and free the ninja before destroying the ring. Is that doable?"

"Yes, that's fine. Is that all?" Sasuke asks.

"Kakashi has sent a message back for you and Hinata. Here you are. If you need one sent back please just ask," Mei hands over the red scroll.

Sasuke takes the scroll and hides it under his cloak. Thanking her briefly, he walks off wanting to finally start back up his and Hinata's training.

KNOCK, KNOCK!

"Um, come in," a tired voice replies.

Sasuke opens up the door carefully and enters Hinata's room. She's sitting on the edge of her bed and brushing the knots out of her purple hair with a comb.

"Oh hello Sasuke-kun, how did your search go?" she asks.

"I found a lead, though it won't be any good for three days. We need to train to get ready. Meet me at training site three just south," Sasuke replies.

"Well done, Sasuke-kun. I'll be down in a minute," she congratulates happily. Sasuke smiles back then leaves.

Sasuke waits patiently for Hinata to show up at the training court. It has wooden targets jutting out of the ground and trees surrounding it looking like they had been hit thousands of times. Seen as he was going to teach Hinata some more ninjutsu he sets his katana down on the floor. That was for after.

Some time later, Hinata comes eagerly running towards him. Her hair flowing behind her from the breeze and sword in her hand. Her lavender orbs lock onto him and she waves frantically.

"Sorry, I got l-lost," she states apologetically, bowing to him. Honestly this girl bowed far to much.

"Doesn't matter," he says flatly, "Now I want you to show me your most powerful jutsu and attack me with it. From there we can add to it or invent new ones"

"O-ok, Sasuke-kun"

He feels her chakra flare to life and she pushes it into her forearms and hands. The Hyūgas really did have a great chakra control. Next, she ignites her palms in purple flames and then shapes them into lions. Sasuke raises his eyebrows and turns on his Sharingan. His eye instantly copies her jutsu and adds it to his arsenal. He then does the process again to himself. She looks suprised at his copying of her move.

"Attack!"

She takes in her surroundings and lunges at him, turning on her own dojutsu. His eye follows and predicts her every movement but just barely. She strikes fast and aims for his chakra points. It was a deadly jutsu but wasn't powerful or long range; he would have to rectify that.

She throws a palm at him, watching him closely. He bats it away, the twin lions protecting his skin from damage. He realises that the lions are made from pure chakra with fire shaping it. It was genius. Returning the strike, he drops down into a crouch and spins around with his leg out. Hinata sees his idea quickly and jumps over it.

He grins and preforms a shadow clone jutsu while she isn't looking. It appears behind her and uses Chidori. It runs at her from behind as his original runs at her from in front. He sees her eyes rapidly working around the problem.

Hinata spins till she is standing side on, and catches the Chidori blade from his clone while kicking backwards making him dodge out of the way. She uppercuts the clone and it vanishes in a puff of smoke. She was definitely a master at close range. He releases her jutsu from his forearms and stands still wanting to give her a rundown, but she doesn't see it. Hinata charges towards him and goes for his forehead.

It was as good as any time to show her his Rinnegan.

He activates the Preta Path and a glowing sphere appears around his form sucking in her pure chakra ninjutsu. Soon her jutsu is completely gone and useless. Sasuke feels an influx of her chakra surge into him. He stores it away. Her face contorts into confusion at being stopped without him moving.

"How did you do that?" she exclaims, "You managed to stop my attack and absorb it"

"It's a secret. I'll show you soon, when the time is right. Right now I wanted to give touch some pointers," he replies. Showing her an ability was fine, but showing her his Rinnegan might just freak her out.

Her face still kept the confused look, but she nods.

"Your chakra control is perfect, which means you could most likely preform some of my ninjutsu I'll teach you soon. Chidori variants and some fire jutsu, perhaps? Your fighting style is good also, but only being good at close range. We'll work on that too," Sasuke tells her.

"Y-Yes, Sasuke-kun! What next?"

"Pick up Dawn. We'll try real swords this time. Don't try and murder me. We're working on blocking and dodging, ok?"

Another nod while she picks up her katana. "Now, try running your chakra into the blade and turning it into lighting. It increases power and speed," he instructs.

He waits for her to try. Then his passive face breaks out into a smirk. First time, very good indeed. He admired her diligence to constantly prove and push herself.

"Well done, now attack!" he shouts, doing the same to his own weapon.

Sasuke strikes at her katana, careful not to accidently hit her. She retaliates by blocking it with the edge of the blade and sliding it down towards his fingers. He quickly jumps away keeping his Sharingan trained onto her wrist and eyes.

"Good. How's your footwork?" he chuckles.

Sasuke jolts with chakra and flash steps behind her. She immediately spins around blocking him and turning out of the way. 'Her Byakugan sees in all directions idiot,' he berates himself. Snapping out of his disappointment, Sasuke swipes his sword through a wooden post, severing it instantly, and then kicks it towards her. She ducks under it while switching her katana into a backhand hold. She then sprints at him, eyes bulging, and slices vertically up towards his chin.

Sasuke flips backwards landing perfectly, just missing the tip of the Sword. Phew! Stepping backwards and leaping into a tree he removes some shurikan from his thigh, and expertly chucks them at her chest. Her eyes widen then narrow with determination.

She starts spinning around, forcing chakra out of her body in all areas. A vortex appears around her while she spins knocking away every shurikan without fail. She then cuts off the jutsu and looks for him in the tree.

Sasuke appears beside her and knees her leg causing pain to shoot through her while she topples sideways, and does what no ninja should ever do: drop their weapon.

He returns Pitch to its waist sheathe and steps backwards. "Never drop your weapon. It doesn't matter how hurt you are, this is something you must never do," he portrays to gage her reaction.

Hinata grabs her sword and looks up at him, dojutsu deactivated. "Yes, Sasuke-kun, I understand. I know where I went wrong."

"Oh?"

"I was to engrossed in my revolving heaven jutsu and didn't think you'd move from the tree. I should have stayed alert and then I wouldn't of dropped my sword," she says calmly.

He smiles. So she has learned not to let her anger take over but to analyse the situation instead and learn from it.

"Well done. That's enough for today. Here," he smiles, holding out a hand.

She takes it gratefully and he hoists her up. She's extremely light to his chakra enhanced body. Hinata reaches her feet stopping a few inches under his height. Her hand stays inside his and he looks into her eyes again. Those mesmerising eyes!

"Woah! That was so cool!" a high pitched voice says next to them.

 **Thanks for reading. I'm not as happy with this chapter but it should get back on track next chapter. Adding Maruu was a hard decision but she is there as a way to get Sasuke and Hinata to bond. I skipped the poker game because I've really never played it and cba to write about it. And lastly to the guest who keeps writing 'kill yourself' on everyones SasuHina fics, please find some friends or a hobby and stop reading what you don't like. Simple.** **Writing what I want is a hobby. Stop reading them.**

 **~UE**


	7. Underground

"Woah! That was so cool!"

Sasuke and Hinata whip around at near light speed, and come face to face with--

"Maruu!" Hinata exclaims, "W-what are you doing here?"

"I saw you leave after Mr Sasuke, and wanted to ask you if we could go shopping, so I followed you. Did I do something wrong?" Maruu responds, innocently. Why couldn't anyone just call him his first name?

"N-no, I was just surprised that's all. But next time you shouldn't leave without one of us with you. It's dangerous, OK?" Hinata berates. Now she sounded like a mother. It was kinda nice actually. At least Maruu had some sort of normalcy around.

"Mhmm, but how did you do all that stuff. You were so awesome with the cool swords and purple lions!" Hinata looked slightly puzzled at the 'purple lions', but after a gesture from him, she realised what the girl was referring to.

"It's called Ninjutsu. Ninjas use it to protect themselves, among other things. We were training so she can get stronger," Sasuke tells Maruu, placing a hand on Hinata's shoulder.

"Mother always kept me away from Ninjas. She said they were a bad influence on me, but I think she was wrong, they're awesome!" Maruu shouts with glee. Sasuke had to agree with her that ninjas were probably bad influences on young kids. Especially ones who had led a bad life like he had.

"Some are good and some are bad. You should still be careful," Hinata added.

"I'd love to be as strong as you two are, and help mother with her travelling," Maruu says, smiling sadly.

A thought ran through Sasuke's mind, but he didn't know if he could deliver on it, or that Hinata would agree. He normally wouldn't care for permission, but Hinata had grown on him lately and he'd rather not see her disappointed.

"Sasuke-kun and I could teach you when you're older, if it's something you'd still want to try. As a gift," Hinata asks out of the blue. It makes Sasuke recoil slightly in shock. Did she read his mind?

"Really that'd be the best present ever. When, when?" Maruu replies, excitedly.

"Well, we'll have to see. I'll think of something another day," Hinata says, "Sasuke-kun, is that alright with you?"

"Y-yes. Believe it or not, you read my mind," Sasuke stops at the stutter, "You seem to be rubbing off on me, Hyūga"

Hinata giggles at him, and nods in affirmation. "Good"

He lowers his voice to a mere whisper, only loud enough for Hinata to here. "It would have to be near the end of our time here, or if she comes with us, we will have more time."

"With us?" she whispers back, concerned.

"If she has no relatives in the Mist, then she will be put forward to a orphanage when we leave. I don't want that to happen, and we can ask her if she wants to tag along. Of course we'll have to tell her of her mothers fate beforehand. Who knows, maybe she'll have extended family elsewhere?"

"I hope so. But I agree with what your saying. Thank you," Hinata utters.

He raises his voice again in a commanding tone, "Right then girls, we should head back to the house. I have a scroll we need to read and reply to."

"Scroll? Who from?" Hinata questions, tipping her head to the left. God, she looked so cute when she did that.

"Kakashi. Mei gave it to me. Come on, let's get a move on," Sasuke answers, heading off and walking past Maruu. He sees Maruu grab Hinata's hand and can't help himself but smile at a certain impossible dream.

It was just gone midday. Possibly one or two pm. The streets were fairly bustling with shoppers and workers. He even spotted the miners from the poker game looking at him in distaste. The mist still surrounded the village in a thick blanket; the lights had to be on almost all the time just to allow people to see clearer. Sasuke wondered how the citizens managed it. He much preferred the Leaf to this drowsy place.

Turning the door knob, Sasuke entered their current abode. His stomach growled at the smell of food and he gave himself up to it. He had eaten rations most of his life, so he had learned to appreciate a good meal.

Sasuke opened a random cupboard that was located at the top most level, and scoffed at the sight. Inside, were a few cups of Instant Ramen. He closed the cupboard again. Sasuke didn't want to remind her of Naruto just yet. She didn't need a distraction from her training. He especially didn't want her to talk about him when Naruto clearly didn't care much for her. Sasuke suppressed his jealously, mentally kicking himself.

Hinata and Maruu let themselves in moments later, missing his selfish act. He opened up the fridge and found some tomatoes. That would do. They were his favourite food after all, besides Rice Balls. He yanked out the container, closing then fridge behind him. There were thirty, ripe, red tomatoes staring at him ready to be eaten. Sasuke ripped off the plastic top, and shovelled as much as he could into his mouth. Hinata was smiling at his devouring of the tomatoes. She and Maruu helped themselves to the ones he left behind.

Sasuke then flung himself onto the leather sofa and crossed his legs for a more comfy position. Withdrawing the red scroll, Hinata came to sit crosslegged next to him.

"Maruu. Sasuke and I need to look at this super secret message, ok? So if you have a shower and get dressed we can go out shopping after. Sound good?" Hinata says softly.

"Really! Cool, we can buy new dresses and-" the rest cut off short as Maruu slammed her room's door shut, and started a shower. Hinata really knew how to talk to Maruu, that was for sure.

"You're a natural with kids," Sasuke spoke.

Hinata blushed softly on her cheeks, "Thanks."

"No problem,"

Sasuke unfurled the scroll in his arms, and Hinata scotted a little closer for a better view. The scroll was decorated with a gold banner on either side of the writing, and leafs littered the top. The writing was undoubtedly Kakashi's as he had always had sloppy writing. Too lazy he supposed. Underneath it, stood a proud, red wax mark, jutting out in the symbol of their village. It was definitely a real letter and not a forgery.

It read, 'Well done on your recent mission, Sasuke and Hinata. The Mizukage tells me your help is much appreciated, and you preformed well. Your next mission seems to be a underground ring, though I'm not sure if you've completed it yet, the messenger birds are a little slow. Anyway off topic. The next point I must address is Hinata's two year restriction. Since she has a limited time, I've had to split your mission into three parts. Firstly is the Mist where you currently are. You are to help out there for eight months before moving onto the Sand, where missions will be mostly helping the villagers. This will last six months, and finally is a small settlement near the Leaf village for six months. Then you both must return before you, Sasuke, make your decision to leave again, and carry on with your quest. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I'm sure you'd like to visit anyway. Kakashi Hatake, Sixth Hokage'.

Sasuke looked closer at the scrolls writing, re-reading the same line over and over again. Hinata only had two years before she had to return? Why?

"You never mentioned a two year restriction," Sasuke spoke, making Hinata look at him sympathetically.

"I-I'm sorry Sasuke-kun, I just f-forgot to mention it. My father wants me back eventually to help out with the clan," Hinata reasoned, flustered.

Sasuke sighed audibly. He should have known Hinata would have to return to help out her clan, after all, they were her family. Why would she want to stay with him forever?

Sasuke felt a coldness in his heart take over suddenly. Two years he had with his precious Hyūga. Two years.

'I will make the most of it,' Sasuke promised himself. He would train her to be excellent at every type of ninja art she could preform. He would open up to her more, and in return learn more about her. Perhaps he could do more fun stuff with her that didn't involve fighting and training. Yes. Thats exactly what he would do!

Two years. Eight months in Mist. Six in sand, and six in a Fire Land settlement. It was doable. He just hoped the time wouldn't fly by, unable to be grasped by him. Losing Hinata suddenly felt incredibly difficult.

"I understand, Hyūga. We'll just have to make the most out of it. Your training will be more vigorous and start again tomorrow in preparation for the underground ring," Sasuke muttered.

"Y-yes, Sasuke-kun," Hinata affirmed, "What are you going to do now?"

"Write up a response and give it to Mei. Have fun with your shopping trip. Try not to get to worn out, bright and early tomorrow," he smiled, rolling up the scroll and hiding it again.

"I won't," she smiled back, and ran off for a shower.

 **Hinata**

One hour later, and both Hinata and Maruu, were out on a shopping spree. The Mizukage had given Hinata a hefty amount of spending money, on top of the ryo they had received from completing the 'Bandit Raid Mission'- as Mei called it.

Hinata was wearing her normal ninja getup, but had been persuaded by Maruu to buy some dresses, and more casual attire. Possibly even some makeup. Maybe not. That didn't go down too well last time.

Maruu was wearing a blue skirt, a white jumper, and some black boots. Her hair was no longer dirty and showed off Sasuke-like hair with it's out-of-place, but pretty, white streak, in her fringe. Her complexion was still pale- like Hinatas own- but that was common from people who lived in the Mist where it wasn't sunny often.

Dresses were Maruu's favourite attire as she bought three of them all brightly coloured, whereas Hinata only bought one black, strapless dress. They mostly focused on casual attire which could be worn whenever they weren't doing anything; like waiting for a mission. They even bought clothing for Sasuke. It was mostly black and dark blue due to his obsession with dull clothing, not that she blamed him, it suited him well. Hinata also bought a black beanie with the letter 'H' on it to keep her ears more warm. It was her favourite piece she had bought. Lastly they entered a ninja tool shop, to which Hinata got a custom kunai for Maruu so she could practice with it for the future. Hinata didn't buy anything in the ninja shop, nothing could top Dawn.

Over the course of the next three days, Sasuke trained her overtime. He worked her more than ever, leaving her gasping for breath after every spar. They rigorously practised their swordsmanship until she was ready to drop dead. She learned new blocks, when to dodge when you can't block, and when to strike at the perfect time. Sasuke was right about watching your opponents eyes and movements more than the sword blade; it revealed inner thoughts to her and she picked up on when Sasuke was about to use a certain manoeuvre. Hinata could read him fairly well now, though she knew if he was really trying, he could cut her down with ease. It frightened her slightly. His speed was unmatched due to his lifetime of hard training by a particular Sanin.

Sasuke also schooled her on ninjutsu because her tijutsu was 'perfect' according him, and her genjutsu was practically useless in the face of his. Ninjutsu was easier to get the hang of because of her excellent chakra control and ability to apply new ideas to existing ones. Her lightning release was getting better, and easily taking over as her more dominant affinity. Sasuke was currently teaching her Chidori, but she hadn't quite got the hang of it yet. She could push the chakra out and light it, but she couldn't shape or control it very well. The best she could make was a small jolt of electricity in her palm that ectrocuted her slightly. Her fire affinity was coming along ok, and she had successfully able to create a 'chunin sized' fire ball jutsu, which made her incredibly proud.

Sasuke had also offered to show her Kirin, to which she quickly agreed. They had to leave the Mist incase they scared the villagers into insanity. It was a amazing display of power. The thunder cloud allowed static electricity to build up and allowed Sasuke to direct it with minimal effort. The result was a giant dragon that broke through the cloud cover to strike the ground at near light speed.

During her rest periods, Hinata would home school Maruu as she had never been enrolled by her mother. They went through Maths, English and Science. Along with the basic subjects, Hinata also tutored her on chakra control and the types of jutsu, so that she could get a feel for it for the the future.

For now, Hinata was confident with her abilities for tonight's raid.

 **11:30.**

Hinata and Sasuke meet up with three Mist Anbu on seemingly random roof. All three of them wore a black cloak with hoods up. Under the hoods were three unique masks concealing their identities. One was a Dragon with a blue stripe on the nose, one was a Cobra coloured green, and the last one was a Chicken which Hinata heard Sasuke stifle a mocking giggle at. She took to calling them their animal names.

They stood on a simple flat top building that gave them a good view of their surroundings. Their team was currently stalking a man in a white suit that intelligence said was headed to the underground ring. The man looked to be in his thirties, and wore a smug grin. On each arm, blonde women clutched on to him giggling at a joke he was telling.

The dark sky was barely visible under the thick fog of the mist, and lamps were lit up everywhere so that people could see the surroundings.

Hinata, Sasuke, Dragon, Cobra, and Chicken, lept over roof tops trailing their unsuspecting man. Hinata's eyes narrowed in disgust at the careless man. How could someone participate in something like this?

Eventually, the mysterious man halts in front of a house and knocks on the letterbox. Moments after, the door opens up letting the rotten man inside. The house looked nothing special. Just a normal family home with two floors. Hinata switched on her Byakugan with a quick redirection of chakra.

Looking through the walls made Hinata feel slightly queesy. Inside, surprisingly, stood just one chakra signiture staying still. The chakra pathway wasn't very developed.

"One signiture. Could be a bouncer?" she puts out there.

"One?" Cobra asks suprised.

"The man must have already entered the ring. We need to hurry. I'll get inside the house and take out the guard. Follow just after," Sasuke commands. Satisfied nods all around. He disappears with a 'whoosh' and the next moment enters the house in the blink of an eye. Sasuke's speed startles her. She refocuses her Byakugan on Sasuke.

She sees the bouncer react violently at the sight of Sasuke, before falling limp to the floor when looking at Sasuke's Sharingan. The bouncers chakra is visibly disturbed and blocked near the brain. Visual genjutsu was definitely scary.

"The guard is down. We can follow," Hinata relays. She leaps after Sasuke, moving at a slower pace than him. The three Anbu follow, all slower than her.

Inside, Sasuke was busy dragging the unconscious body from its original spot, to a storage cupboard. A bucket was on a table stuffed full of ryo.

"Hyūga, check beneath us," Sasuke says.

She reactivates her Dojutsu and looks downwards. She stumbles softly. It felt like being on top of a incredibly high building, looking over the edge. Hinata recoils slightly at the sight. Darkness everywhere. Nothing showed up, no chakra, no people, nothing. She had never experienced that before.

"I can't see anything. It's just black, sorry," she tells him.

"Makes sense. That's how they've kept it hidden for so long. Must be seals stopping sensory ninjas. We'll just have to go in blind," Sasuke

"But... where's the entrance," Chicken asks, making Sasuke raise an eyebrow at him that said 'seriously?'

Sasuke walks over to the bouncer's previous standing place, near the bucket. He bends down and grasps the carpet, pulling it back with a flick of his wrist. Underneath revealed a trap door with a string attached to it. He turns around, eyeing Chicken with a smirk. He then pulls it up showing off a set of wooden, creaky stairs heading down towards a tunnel.

"Hyūga, and I will take point. You three take up the rear. Stay on alert," Sasuke orders. He claps his hands together and looks at her, before motioning towards the hole. She gulps, suddenly feeling nervous. Going in prepared was one thing, but going in blind was another.

Sasuke then rises to his full height and strolls over to her.

"It'll be fine. You're strong, remember that, Ok?" he says, taking her right hand in his left.

She smiles warmly at his concern. "Thanks, Sasuke-kun." He smiles a rare smile back.

As they descend into the tunnel, the Anbu follows after them on their heels. The stairs creak at their every step, that it feels as though they will fall through it. They come to the bottom after around ten stairs. The tunnel was about two people wide, and seven foot high. Torches lined the walls every ten meters or so, giving off an eerie atmosphere. They continue to follow the tunnel along.

Sasuke's rougher hands were still encasing her softer ones. It gave her a warm feeling, and made her feel far safer. After all he made a promise to everyone that he wouldn't allow harm to befall her. Sasuke didn't seem fazed by their rare contact and continued to stare ahead. A blush touched her cheeks, but the darkness concealed it thankfully. Never had she held a boys hand before, but she crushed the thought; it wasn't the time for it.

Echoes of their every footstep assaulted their ears incessantly. The fire crackling from the torches lashed out at them. No one spoke a word, they were all to busy searching for any sign of life.

Suddenly cheering and applauses rushed up through the tunnel. She could see Sasuke grin maliciously, at them finally finding what they had been looking for.

Rounding a corner, they come to a stop. Hinata gasps audibly. The tunnel opened up into a huge cavernous coliseum. Rows of seats lined the surroundings. A bar could be spotted way off on the left serving many drinks to chuckling men. Drugs were being passed around like snacks at a picnic. It was a horrific sight.

In the middle of the coliseum was a raised platform surrounded by a bottomless pit as protection. Hinata could see small seals lining the platform, probably to restrict movement or something. On the platform an old man with grey hair stood waiting patiently for the noise to cease.

The man coughed incredibly loudly and it rung out across the masses. He must be using some kind of jutsu to enhance his voice. The seated men and women didn't stop abruptly, but they quieted down somewhat.

"I suppose that's the best I can ask for," the old man coughed again, "Now, I'd like to thank everyone for making it tonight, it's been a rough year, but today marks the twenty second auction. Let's get this party up and running!"

A huge thrumming of clapping filled the cavernous room. Whistles were ringing out across the crowd. Some even shouted for it to hurry up.

Rage filled Hinata to the tipping point. How could anyone enjoy this! It was disgusting! Similar emotions ran through the rest of her group.

"We should intervene now!" Hinata exclaimed. She looked at the others for support. They avoided her gaze.

"We should wait, then go in. Find the captured ninjas, and remove anyone with ties to the underground ring. Then I'll collapse the cave. Agreed?" Sasuke asks.

"That would be a better plan," Dragon says, breaking his silence.

"Fine," she seethes.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our first batch of ninjas," the announcer thunders. The crowd erupted into applause again.

The old man weaved a sign and the platform started rumbling. Two equal sized platform raised up on opposite sides of the main platform. On the smaller platforms, two ninjas were raised up. On the left side, was a blonde girl wearing simple purple clothing with a white belt. On her forehead was the symbol for the sound village, but it had a slice through it like Sasuke's. So she was a rogue ninja. She looked scared but determined. On the right side, was a older boy wearing blue robes, and had a staff on his back. He had brown hair and stared at the girl intently as if he was trying to kill her with his gaze.

"Begin!" the announcer screamed, and backed off.

Hinata's eyes widened in shock. She realised what was going to happen.

It was going to be a fight.

 **Shorter chapter, but the next one shall be a lot longer. Sorry for the wait I had a lot of things to do. There will be a lot of time skips over the next lot of chapters as writing over 2 years might take a while. I have the rest of the story plot figured out and I hope you enjoy it. If anyone wants to give Maruu a special ability for when they decide to train her, please put a request in the reviews. Thanks**

 **~UE**


	8. Liberation

The unnamed male ninja instantly took off towards the girl. He unsheathed his staff that was strapped to his back, and shouted, "FLASH!" His chosen weapon ignited with fire, leaving a small part of it untouched to grip. The once blue staff was now ablaze in orange flames. The man flung his staff horizontally, aiming at the girl, releasing a roaring blast with destructive fire trailing behind it. The light was almost blinding, and the sound was unprecedented- unrivaled.

Seals around the platform glowed a pristine white and a rectangular, barely visible, barrier, covered the battlefield protecting all the crowd. They were lucky that it had. They'd all be toast if it suddenly decided not to work.

This time the spectators really did fall silent as they waited for a winner. Dust was all that was visible through the rectangular box shield.

"Clever," Sasuke spoke next to her. She turned to look at him seeing his Sharingan activated.

"What's happening?" she asks.

"The girl burrowed underground using an Earth style jutsu," he replied. The others look equally shocked. Hinata turned on her own Dojutsu for future use.

She refocused on the platform as the dust began to settle. She could only just make out a figure standing in the middle of the field, however, a small chakra signiture spiked quickly underneath it.

Suddenly, the girl broke through the ground below the man and forced her hand around his neck, lifting him up a few feet and then punched him hard. Hinata swore she could hear bones crunching. The onlookers burst out into cheers again at the impossible survival. The dust finally settled.

The man was laying on the ground messing with his chin. It looked dislodged and broken. Blood splattered his face, and he seemed to be missing a front tooth. One thing stood out for her though- the old announcer was missing. There was no sign of his chakra anywhere. It struck her that he had been obliterated in the mans flash. That's how little human life was worth to them.

"Come on toothless, let's dance," the girl taunted, angering the man beyond belief. The man got up in one movement, and spat out some blood from his mouth. He sheathed his staff and weaved some unidentifiable hand signs.

The girl then started... whistling? Yes, whistling. What on earth was that for?

Something small caught her eye in the duel. She zoomed in tighter with her Byakugan, and discovered invisible laces of chakra lining the girls whistle pattern. Ah, so thats what it was. A form of genjutsu made from sound, she supposed it was pretty obvious, after all the female was from the Sound Village.

"Are you mocking me, bitch!" the man cursed, "Lava Style: Molten Core!"

The man opened his mouth and blood turned to lava. Steam left his nose as the temperature surely rose. The molten lava poured out passed his lips burning the floor around him and spread out to the edges.

"Special ninjas. Lava style, its a rare kekkei genkei," Cobra said. That made sense.

"Earth Style: Rising Pillar," the girl shouted back, causing a portion of the ground to rise up from the rest effectively keeping her out of the way of the lava.

"That wont save you, little girl," he replied savagely, and smirks.

The lava, that was now covering most of the battlefield, was burning relentlessly into the floor and attacking the raised pillar ferociously. The man was right, the whistling woman couldn't stay up there forever.

The girl then threw her fists together, clasping them close tightly. The platform then split in two, like the sage had done to a sea once. The lava, that was previously drying up, spilled over the edge, falling down harmlessly.

The man cut of his Lava jutsu and snarled. He looked at the edge of his rope, and Hinata knew what happened when you let your rage take over during a fight.

The raised platform slowly lowered back down to its original position and the girl stepped off. She was still whistling, manipulating chakra unknowingly to everyone else.

She initiated the fight next, going in without a weapon or any ninjutsu, just her fists. Risky. She quickly reached her opponent and they began hurling fists at each other.

The man was clearly a better tijutsu user, making use of every dodge before counterattacking her easily. He didn't even bother reaching for his staff.

The girl's fist flew over his head at incredible speed, to which the man responded by ducking just in time for the fist to hit some of his stray hairs. Hinata could see the man snarl, and sorrow filled her body for the girl.

Barely dodging her punch, the man kneed the girl between her legs causing her eyes to widen in pain, although she never stopped whistling. More annoyed, the man jumped up and threw his fist into her jaw making her spasm slightly. The girl dropped to the ground still whistling. She was incredibly persistent! Straddling her stomach, the man put his fingers around her throat and pushed, blocking any attempt at breathing.

Hinata almost looked away at the sight. Her hand squeezed Sasuke's almost as tightly as the man was strangling the poor, still quietly whistling, girl. It gave her some small comfort.

Then the whistling ceased abruptly. Hinata waited for the man to grin devilishly at his victory.

It never came.

The girl wheezed underneath him trying to catch her dwindling breath. She pushed the guy off of her and onto the side. Hinata's thoughts were going wild. 'How?'

Then she remembered the genjutsu. She must have completed it just in time before her death. At closer inspection, the man's chakra was indeed interrupted near his ears and eyes.

The girl flipped herself onto her front and pushed herself up, still coughing up oxygen. Finally finding her breath, she raised herself up to her full height and kicked the man in between his own legs. Ouch.

"That's for earlier, now give me your kunai!" she said to the unconscious man. The girl retrieved a simple grey kunai from the mans blue robes and placed it at his neck. Before Hinata could remove her eyes, the girl sliced the man's throat ear to ear, killing him instantly as he drowned in his own blood.

Another old man rose from the middle of the platform underground. "Congratulations number six, I honestly didn't think you'd win that. A lot of people have lost bets tonight, ay?" he grinned.

The girl wasn't even called a human name, just given a number. How disgusting! Hinata couldn't wait to free the prisoners. To hell with their bets.

Boos and less cheers sounded from the coliseum as people registered the money they had just lost. Apparently it was a lot of them.

"On a higher note, the first auction can now begin. Number six is a sound genjutsu specialist and can preform high level earth jutsu. She is loyal and strong, a great edition to anyones private ninja army or whatnot. Bidding starts at two thousand ryo, any offers?" the announcer continued.

"A bidding war on the winner. So that's it," Sasuke says out of the blue, "we need to find the rest now. Who knows how many more battles there will be?"

"We don't know where they are being kept. They could be anywhere," Chicken points out.

"T-They came up on pedestals. We should try further down. There are steps leading down over there," Hinata steps in, pointing.

They all follow her finger to a open doorway. It was behind any of the spectators, but it was risky.

"I agree," Sasuke said, squeezing her hand now.

"How do we reach it without being spotted? It's not exactly hidden," Cobra responded.

"If you weren't wearing your ridiculous Anbu robes and masks, we could have possibly blended in," Sasuke muttered, and closed his eyes to think more clearly.

"I have an idea. Hyūga and I go downstairs, while you three stay on the lookout for any more signs. I'll give a signal if we find the ninjas. We'll release them and tell them to rebel, before leaving and heading off for the Mizukage to be interviewed?" Sasuke questioned. It seemed like a well thought out plan.

"Fine. What's the signal?" Dragon asked.

"You'll know when you see it," Sasuke replied smirking, "Come on, Hyūga," he finished, dragging her along by her hand. It suprised her that he still hadn't let go of her, not that she didn't dislike it, it was just out of his normal broody character.

The two of them entered the cavernous coliseum, and Hinata felt out of place immediately. She was wearing fairly weird clothing and Sasuke was in a cloak. Not the most inauspicious people in the world you might say. Some crowds people turned to look their way, but most focused on the auction at hand. Hinata realised it was now near eight thousand ryo; a ridiculous amount of money.

Sasuke inclined his head at anyone who looked at them funny, dismissing them swiftly. Most were too blind drunk to see them anyway, thank the sage.

Soon they reached the open doorway, and entered it without looking back. Stone steps, instead of wooden ones. That was a relief. The wood creaking drove her mad. The staircase spiraled round, descending into uncharted territory. Hinata's Byakugan stopped working again and she hesitantly shut it off.

It seemed like she was going round forever. For a minute she thought she might be in a genjutsu, but a quick chakra check told her she wasn't. It was nearly impossible to put a Hyūga under genjutsu.

Eventually, the spiral staircase leveled out and led them into another corridor tunnel. She could hear whining and shouts further down the hall.

"Be alert for guards," Sasuke whispers. She nods back, and they separate their hands through unspoken agreement. The lack of contact left her breathless slightly.

They carried on down the hallway, until it regrettably changed into another cave. This one was smaller than the main chamber and the previous Bandits cave. The only difference was multiple steel cages painted with endless chakra supressing seals. Some cages were empty, and some had the odd ninja inside.

They all seemed completely demoralised. Hinata spotted a woman grinding her nails across the rocky ground, snapping them and causing blood to surface. There was three guards shifting slowly around the prison, knocking on the bars to torture the suffering ninjas from their well deserved sleep.

"Hello, everyone we're here to free you, just give me a second to deal with these pathetic idiots," Sasuke said out loud, attracting everyones attention.

"You think you can just walk in here and defeat us? Wrong choice, lad," a overweight guard spits back, causing Sasuke to smirk.

Some prisoners seemed thrilled, and others looked miserable still. Maybe they thought they wouldn't be saved?

Sasuke and Hinata walked up to where the three guards had taken up a funny stance.

Hinata went to form hand signs to create a fireball, but Sasuke blocked her with a single arm. "Let me deal with them."

"O-ok," she whispered back, unsure of his intentions. She backs off away from him, focusing on the unfamiliar seals, but keeping an eye on Sasuke at the same time.

The three guards grin. "Think you can take us on by yourself, do you? You shouldn't be so bold, kid," the one in the middle stated. Each one cupped a hand in front of their mouths and shouted, "Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu." Giant sized fireballs erupted from each of their mouths burning the floor and roof. The temperature rose quickly and she stared in shock.

Sasuke stood there unmoving, and unfazed by the display of their triple power. The fire balls came closer, and closer until they didn't. The impressive ninjutsu hit a blue spherical barrier around Sasuke and lost its size almost immediately. It was the same thing he had used against her a few days ago, when she attacked him with her twin lion fists. What was it!?

The fire quickly became a mere flicker of candle light, before burning out completely. Sasuke stood there unhurt, and unammused. Not a scratch. It wasn't so impressive now.

The three guards recoiled in complete shock at the sight before them.

"Ho-How?" one asked, gobsmacked.

Sasuke doesn't bother giving them a response, like he hadn't with her. Instead, he directed his sight towards the trio, and placed them in a simple genjutsu instantaneously.

"That went just about as well as could be expected. How are you doing?" he questioned her.

The prisoners start standing at the sight of Sasuke saving them with complete ease. Previous ninjas who had no hope, now smiled weakly.

"I-I can't figure out the seals. I've never studied them b-before," she responded.

"Let's see. Orochimaru had me taught basic sealing language. It was a hobby of his," he says, staring at the black spiral seals, "They seem to be unique chakra suppression seals. Maybe a seal that uh... that overrides it will work?"

Sasuke bent down and pressed a finger to the inky seal. It opens up into a bigger spiral at his touch. A whirlpool was etched in the middle with chain links coming off of it. He starts rearranging the unidentifiable characters, before stepping back.

"Anything?" he asks a woman inside the cage. She shakes her head worried, causing Sasuke to exhale sharply and rethink his strategy.

"Maybe a... suppression seal method to suppress the supression seal? That's a mouthful. Worth a try," he says to himself, brooding it over.

He reaches down again, and places his thumb and index finger upon the seal this time. He then turns his hand anticlockwise. The seal spins in the opposite direction to which it opened and starts flickering in and out of existence.

"I can feel my chakra!" the woman exclaims. Sasuke steps back to recreate it with the others. She follows him closely, but doesn't interfere.

Ten minutes later, and every full prison was empty and destroyed from the inside. There were fifteen ninjas in total. Nine male, and six female. Most looked battered up and had smudges all over their clothing. These were the people that were about to fight to the death just to be sold.

"W-what d-do we d-do now, sir?" a young boy stammers, looking down at the ground.

"I need you to follow that hallway. There you'll find a staircase leading up to the coliseum. You'll have to fight your way out, and head to the Mizukage. I'll meet you all there later. Anbu are positioned upstairs in waiting," Sasuke conveys.

"The Mizukage? We're in the Mist?" a older man asks, confused.

"Yes. The Mizukage will help you return to wherever you were taken from," Sasuke tells them.

"Thank you so much, sir. We owe you our lives. Whatever are you going to do while we escape?" a teenage girl says.

"I can sense a large chakra close to here. I'm going to go check it out. It might be more prisoners," he replied, motioning backwards.

"Well... Good luck," one said, before they all departed for the stone staircase.

Hinata turns to Sasuke. "Which way now?" she asks.

"This way."

They sprint through the cave system searching any open chambers. Most were empty with the exception of some wood crates holding food and ryo.

Happening upon a ladder, they look at each other and nod once. Sasuke takes the front instantly, and starts ascending uo the ladder. She quickly follows below him.

At the top, Sasuke pushes open another trap door. They both enter the room above them. The room was oval shaped and overlooked the coliseum. Inside, was seated three more people. Two of them were sitting a chairs looking at the auction- the original one was still going on, unbelievable- while the other one was facing them with a happy grin on his face. He was young, maybe late twenties, and had black hair kept hair.

"Ah, you made it," he spoke, still grinning annoyingly. The other two whipped around and ran off, frightened for their lives.

"You!" Sasuke shouted, his temper lost.

"Who is he, Sasuke-kun?" Hinata said slowly, trying to calm Sasuke down.

"Ah, where are my manners? The names Tom. I manage the place. Your friend Sasuke and I met in an inn three days ago, right?" the man- Tom- says.

"Why did you sell yourself out?" Sasuke asks, still in rage.

"For fun. To be fair, I've grown rather bored of this annual underground ring. Why not get it discreetly shut down, and move on?" Tom relays.

"Move on? You aren't going anywhere. You've kidnapped hundreds of ninjas and forced them to fight each other to the death, only to sell them right after. It's despicable,"

"I have done many despicable things in my life, but nothing compared to you, Uchiha," Tom says knowingly, making Sasuke stop for a recheck, "Yes, I know who you are. Sasuke the murderer and traitor. As you already know, I collect special ninja, and there's nothing as special as a powerul Uchiha with Sharingan. Especially when they come with a set of Byakugan as well," he finished, staring at her.

"If you think you can defeat me, or even touch her, you're gravely mistaken," Sasuke barks back, defending her.

"Let's see shall we?"

Then all hell broke loose.

Outside the crowd erupted into screams, drawing their attention. The freed ninja were forcing the spectators to run back through the tunnel not letting anyone stay behind. Dragon, and Cobra were helping wherever needed, including medical help for the hurt. There was no sign of Chicken.

Letting their guards down, Sasuke ran forward to Tom. Sasuke hadn't been bothered with the happenings in the coliseum. His Sharingan bled red and showed his complete hatred.

He reached Tom soon enough, but Tom had snapped out of it too. He brought his guard up as Sasuke hit him. Tom was being careful not to look into Sasuke's eyes, for rightful fear of being put into an endless stupor.

Their bodies collided causing grunts from both parties. Hinata unsheathed Dawn, and ran fire down the blade. She had learnt this trick from Sasuke, who ran lightning down his own blade. She copied it, but with a different chakra nature. It allowed for more cutting power, and burned an opponent when touching them for a split second.

She ran at Tom too, so that she could provide Sasuke with backup. Due to the small area, large ninjutsu wasn't really an option.

She attacked Tom from the side as Sasuke attacked him from the front. The young man followed their movements and tried to counterattack wherever possible. The trouble was, it wasn't possible. She and Sasuke had become rather fluid in each of their movements and could work together relatively well. Tom couldn't touch either of them.

He leapt back and cupped his hand. Seconds later, wind chakra built up in his hand and started to rotate. Her eyes widened slightly. A whirring noise filled the room.

"Rasengan!" he shouted, throwing the blue ball towards them.

She and Sasuke jumped to the side narrowly missing the spinning ball. It shattered behind them into the wall, blasting a hole in it, and throwing infernal dust everywhere.

She felt as though she was winded. Hinata coughed away the dust cloud and refocused on Tom. Sasuke was already re-engaging their enemy harshly. He was seemingly unaffected by the Rasengan.

Sasuke had unsheathed his own Katana- Pitch- and was slashing at every part of Tom's body. Tom jumped back again snd scowled in frustration. He slammed his hand to the rocky floor, and a wall of stone rose out of it perfectly carved.

Tom's evil eyes found hers. He grinned like a shark baring its sharp teeth.

"Then I'll kill her instead," he screamed at Sasuke, who was attempting to remove the rocky wall from his path.

Hinata struggled to get up to her feet, but managed to get up. Her knees buckled and she couldn't move well. Her eyes widened again, probably for the last time.

Tom weaved a series of signs and rocks floated up into his palm forming a sharp knife around his arm and hand. He sprinted at top speed with his arm pointing towards her thumping heart.

Hinata closed her eyes, to weak to fight back. The Rasengan had completely taken it out of her. 'Goodbye, Sasuke-kun.'

"Argh!!"

Her eyes shot open at the sudden shout in front of her. Tom's rock sword hadn't reached her, but was lodged in Chicken's chest. She could see it protruding out of his back. It had gone all the way through. Chicken had saved her from certain death.

"Wh-why did do that?" she whispers.

"I-I dont know. M-my body moved b-by itself," Chicken gurgled back. His mask had fallen off to reveal his face. Blood was bubbling in his mouth, and his once lifeful eyes were dead grey.

"Chicken? Chicken?" she screams.

"What an idiot," Tom curses pulling out his sword.

Hinata falls to her knees over Chicken. The rock in front of her crumbles away to nothingness. Sasuke rushed through, eyes darting around the room. He looks at her and lets out a breath, before seeing Chicken lying on the floor dead.

Sasuke shouts a battle cry and pushes his bang that covers his left eye out of the way. The eye was closed, but bleeding black and red blood. Suddenly, his eye springs open revealing what he has been hiding from her for so long.

The eye was rippled and purple. On every ripple was a black, circle-like pattern. It looked frightening, yet so beautiful. The eye pierced into Tom who was breaking into a jog. Pain's eyes?

"AMATARASU!" Then, as if by magic, Tom's forearm bursts into black flames. They spread quickly up to his upper arm and hand. His screams fill the cave, as he fell through the hole in the wall overlooking the coliseum.

Sasuke closed his eyes in hissing pain, holding it tightly with his palm. His raven hair covering it once again. How did he do that? She couldn't think straight!

Sasuke rushed to the edge of the hole peering out angrily; Hinata joined him. Tom was by the entrance tunnel gritting his teeth. His entire right arm was missing, and blood was pouring out of it. The unattached arm lay a few feet away from him, still encased in black flames. There wasn't much left of it to be called an arm.

"You'll see me again. Mark my words, Uchiha," he screamed, before disappearing into the tunnel.

"A-are you going to chase him?" she whispered, still reeling.

"I'll hunt him down another time," he replied, slightly calmer this time. She nods.

Finding Chicken again, she sank back to her knees.

"It wasn't your fault if that was what you were thinking," Sasuke says.

"It's not that, it's why he would sacrifice himself for me. I didn't even know him for more than a day"

"Who knows why he did it. Just be grateful you're still alive. I've no idea what I would do if you had died then. I'm glad he saved your life, it's just a shame he had to give up his own"

His words registered in her head moments later. Thoughts whirled around, and she slowly accepted what Sasuke told her. Hinata turned around and hugged Sasuke tightly, her arms around his back, while his rested on her waist hesitantly. She knew it was selfish to hold him, but she couldn't stop herself. She thought to herself that a while back she would of fainted at the mere thought of holding Naruto's hand, but now she was hugging Sasuke like there was nothing else. It amused her slightly.

They hugged for what felt like hours, not caring to retract their respective arms from around each other. All good things must come to an end though.

Dragon and Cobra entered the chamber a while later, paying their respects to Chicken. She found out his real name was Noro when not on duty.

"You lot should get going and report back to the Mizukage. I'm going to collapse the cave systems. I'll join you up there," Sasuke told everyone.

"Yeah, Ok. We'll take Noro back for a proper burial. I suggest you leave quickly once the cave comes down," Cobra stated.

"Noted."

"I'll meet you up there Hyūga. I want to talk some more. You said if I ever needed someone to talk to, come to you, so I will," Sasuke finished.

"Ok, be careful."

 **Sasuke.**

His Sharingan jolted to life and he willed it to go further. The three tomoe span around until it formed an atom-like pattern, with Itachi's own design accompanying it. The Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. Purple chakra bubbled around him like wildfire in a forest, soon a skeletal spine, arms, and head were visible around him, protecting him like a invincible samurai. Its eyes were a ghostly yellow that gave him the creeps even after all this time. The spectral warrior was about thirty feet high and it was unfinished.

He willed its purple bow/shield into existence, and it appeared seconds later in its right hand. He prepared an arrow and aimed it at the roof of the enormous coliseum. Releasing the purple arrow, the roof exploded milliseconds later. The arrow was supposedly undodgeable. Only Kakashi with Kamui, and Naruto blocking it with truth seeking orbs had managed to live.

With the roof collapsing, and his death becoming imminent, Sasuke ran a lighting charge through his body and started his own version of the lightning armour. It wasn't particularly hard to learn with the Sharingan copying the Raikage's famous jutsu.

Around him, everything slowed down to a crawl. The rocks fell at a slower pace and he could see tiny details everywhere. Sasuke shut off his Susanoo and walked- or teleported depending on your perspective- to the entrance tunnel, before shutting off the lightning armour too.

Behind him, he could hear rocks grinding into the ground as it built its own tomb. No one would ever enter there again, that was for certain.

The man- Tom- had well and truly pissed him off. He had given him solid information for fun, tried to steal his eyes, tried to kill Hinata, and still gotten away with it. He'd even given the asshole money for that information.

Sasuke was very glad that Chicken had taken the fall instead of Hinata, no matter how bad that sounded. No ones life was worth more than hers in his opinion. Not even his own. Their hug was a happy suprise. It was the second time she had hugged him and it made him feel rather jolly, like there was nothing better in the world. He'd even held her hand for a lot of the mission, her soft skin was so comforting on his.

Sasuke had promised to talk to her some more. He would finally mention his mismatched eyes to her, and possibly reveal more about his life. Hopefully, he could get something out of her too.

The tunnel was pitch black with all the torches burned out. Sasuke, rightly so, ran his hand along the side just to stay upright. He'd walked into the wall more than once now; it was getting embarrassing. Thank the Sage he wasn't claustrophobic.

He grimaced again as he walked into the bottom wood stair. Stumping your toes wasn't a fun activity on the best of days. At least he had reached the end finally. He climbed the staircase swiftly, and opened the trap door with a push. The house was empty. Even the guard from the storage cupboard had been removed. Sasuke made his way over to the bucket and fished out a handsome amount of ryo from it. He deserved it. 'Shoot me,' he dared.

Outside was still freezing, and it had even started raining a light drizzle.

"You're OK!" a voice said beside him.

Hinata. "It'd take more than a collapsing cave to take me down. Why are you still here, I'd of thought you'd go with the rest of them," he asked.

"I wanted to wait for you," she replied. She was shivering from the relentless cold, and her teeth were chattering annoyingly.

He unbuttoned his cloak and held it out to her. "Here."

"B-but that's your brothers"

"You're freezing Hinata. Put it on"

She hesitantly plucked it out of his grip and tied it around herself, taking in the warmth. Her teeth stopped chattering moments later and her breathing returned to normal.

"Thank you"

"Don't mention it," he smiled, and walked off towards the Kage building. Hinata caught up and fell in line next to him. The cloak suited her style well, complementing her lavender eyes and purple hair.

Making it to their chosen destination, two ninjas slid the stone door out of their way, and they entered the Mizukage building cautiously.

A woman wearing thick, black glasses and had tied up messy blonde hair greeted them with a bow. "The Mizukage requests your presence in the great hall. Please follow me."

Hinata bowed back in respect, and they hounded the secretary woman closely. "The fifteen ninjas you sent us are being briefed and questioned as we speak by experts," she conveyed.

"Are any injured? And what happens to the spectators?" Hinata asks.

"There are no serious injuries, but a few were pretty banged up, though nothing to worry about. To answer your second question, the people who were caught have been apprehended, but most managed to flee the Village. With the underground ring collapsed though, they can't continue the activity," she replies. He figured as much. Sasuke needed to debrief Mei and fast.

Rounding a corridor they find a blue, double door. The secretary strolled up to it and pushed it open, fighting against the heavy weight. The doors opened to reveal a long hall with windows to let limited light in. The floor was wooden, and the walls were a creamy white. Various forms of art hung from the walls. The echoes were strong, but not as bad as the tunnel before.

In the middle stood the Mizukage, overlooking the fifteen ninjas. Said ninjas were sat at a desk each, facing men in black business suits and red ties. These must be the 'experts' she was talking about.

"Lady Mizukage, I have information about the underground ring you might want to hear," Sasuke spoke, intriguing Mei.

"Go on"

"The man running it was called a 'Tom'- I didn't get his second name- but it was the man who gave me information on its whereabouts in the inn. I engaged him, but he managed to escape wounded. He mentioned 'moving on'. He also showed an interest in my identity and the Byakugan."

"The one who gave you the information in the first place?"

"Yes. He wanted it to be shut down so he could move on"

"That may be troublesome later on down the line. We shall keep on the lookout for him. Anything else?" she asked.

"Other than the cave being collapsed, nothing," Sasuke said simply.

"Good work," she replied, "The fifteen here are from Villages and settlements around the Lands. Each one having some special rare ability. I'm going to contact their previous home and have them returned safely"

"That would be best"

"I don't have any missions as of yet, but I will contact you if something comes up. Dismissed," she finished, turning back to the ninjas.

"We should check on Maruu, and get some sleep. Ready?" he asks Hinata. They had put Maruu to sleep just before leaving, hoping she wouldn't wake up.

"Y-yes," Hinata responds.

The secretary slid out of the way and allowed them to walk freely.

"Oh, one more thing," Mei exclaimed behind them, "Is everything with Maruu going alright?"

"Y-yes. She's been as good as gold. No trouble whatsoever," Hinata affirmed, smiling.

"Have you brung up her Mother yet?"

"N-not yet. I'm not sure when to break the news to her"

"Fair enough, but you'll feel better telling her earlier. Anyway, goodnight," Mei bowed.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at their apartment and let themselves in quietly. Sasuke flipped the light switch on, illuminating the joined rooms.

"I'll go check on Maruu. Did you want to talk now or tomorrow morning?" Hinata asked.

"Like Mei said: 'You'll feel better telling someone earlier'."

She nods, catching his drift, before rushing off towards Maruu's bedroom. Meanwhile, Sasuke opened the fridge, taking a swig of water and eating an Orange, and an Apple. Hinata made her way towards him again.

"Still out cold. W-we should be quiet though," she told him.

"Ok"

Soon, they were both sat on the sofa. The floor suddenly seemed incredibly interesting. Hinata was hugging her knees to her chest with his cloak still hanging round her small frame, while Sasuke sat with hit legs dangling over the sofa, leaning his face on his fist.

"Y-your eye... what is it? It looks like Pain's Rinnegan, but different," Hinata asked nervously.

She's seen it? Here we go. "It is a Rinnegan like Pains's, but with tomoe. One of the three great Dojutsus. The others being your Byakygan, and my Sharingan. I gained it in the war. It gives me several abilities like that one that absorbs chakra," he schooled.

"I always thought of it as a myth before Pain"

Him too. "Between us we have all three famous eyes. Cool, huh? I guess that's why it makes us such a good team... Team creepy eyes"

She let a giggle pass her lips. "People always made fun of me for my eyes. I had many names when I was young"

"I hope you didn't take any notice of them, your eyes are uh, uh... nice," he bit out, averting his gaze.

She smiled sweetly, and blushed at her cheeks. "T-thank you, Sasuke-kun, you have no idea how happy that makes me"

The conversation fell silent at the wrapping up of the question.

"You never told me about your mother" he said out of the blue. He really wanted to know more about her.

She seemed taken back at the question but replied, "She got sick when I was still young, about three, and... d-died soon after. From what little I can remember, she was always kind to me and everyone around her- helping wherever she could. That's why I aspired to be like her: kind, and helpful"

Sasuke smiled weakly at the Hyūga heiress. She had suffered the loss of family to, he realised.

"She'd be proud if she could see you now, I'm sure of it. You're incredibly kind, maybe too kind sometimes, haha"

"I hope so. I sometimes wish I could speak to her, just once more. I'd give anything"

"Me too. I never got to say goodbye to anyone apart from Itachi, and he had to be reanimated just for me to say it," he revealed.

"Sorry," she apologised, sincerely.

"Not your fault"

"Do you blame your brother?"

"No... Yes... I'm not sure. I do on some level, but he did what he thought was right. If he hadn't, there would of been a war for the Leaf," he said.

"Kakashi told us about that when the war finished. Everyone hated you then"

"I don't blame them. I did wrong. Did you hate me too?"

"I'm n-not sure if I did. You hurt Naruto, but after learning more about you, and travelling with you, I forgot any hatred. I don't hate you, not a bit," she smiled at him.

"Thanks, I guess," he said smiling brightly inside. At least someone didn't hate him, "What else do you want to talk about?"

"I wanted t-to know more about when you left, but it's a hard topic to approach. Y-you don't have to," she whispered.

"It isn't good small talk material," he stated, and she nodded, "Naruto could tell you."

She shook her head quickly, "I'd rather hear it from you. It's your secret to reveal." That made him feel warm.

"One day then, I'll tell you"

She smiled at him again. "Thanks for trusting me."

"No problem," he finished. He peered out of the window; it was still dark, but a small flicker of light could be seen on the horizon. "We've been up a long time. We should sleep. Maybe we can do something different with Maruu tomorrow?"

"Mhmm, that'd be fun. She could do with something fun, after all she's just a kid. If we don't get any missions from the Mizukage, we can check what there is to do around. Maybe Maruu will know?" Hinata agreed.

"Good idea," he backed her up, "Get some sleep, Hyūga"

Hinata got up and unbuttoned the cloak wrapped around her shoulders, holding it out for him.

"Thank you for letting me wear it," she finished, before dashing off to her room.

He watched her run into her room, and shut the door behind her.

'I hate this couch.' he thought, lying down for the night- or early morning.

 **Konoha.**

"Why, oh why, did I sign up for this" he said outloud, massaging his aching temples. Ninety five percent of the job was literally stamping pile after pile of paperwork.

The silver haired man clicked his neck with a quick circle of his head, working out the stress. As he was tapping his brush on the desk in procrastination, the door to his office clicked open.

"Shikamaru? I'd of thought you'd be long gone by now," Kakashi said, surprised.

"I'm just about to leave," Shikamaru sighed, raising an eyebrow, "You need some sleep Lord Sixth, you've been awake for two days straight now. It's not doing you any good."

"Please drop the Lord," he repeated once again. He hated that title. "I need these papers done, Shikamaru."

"Kakashi, I'm your advisor, and I'm advising you to get some rest"

"You wont back down on this will you," Kakashi joked.

"Nope"

"Well alright then. I'll get some sleep in a minute, promise," he nodded.

"Good. I'll help with the papers tomorrow. It'll be quicker. How troublesome," Shikamaru swore, and strolled off, arms behind his head.

Kakashi smiled under his blue mask. Shikamaru was the same as always. Still, he was an excellent advisor training to help Naruto when he surely becomes the next Hokage. He would soon be old enough

'Tap, Tap, Tap!'

Kakashi turned, curious at the sudden piercing sound.

An Eagle was perched outside his closed window, evidently tapping it with its pointy beak. The Eagle's head was mostly white, housing its beady black eyes. Its brown feathered body was slightly wet from flying high up. The talons were as sharp as mini knives. On its back, tied by a string, was a red scroll, probably weighing the poor animal down.

Getting up, his knees buckled due to being sat down for two days. It wasn't very actioned packed around the nations anymore. Naruto's peace was prospering.

Kakashi made a simple sign under his pure white robes. A jutsu for each Hokage that locked the windows in case of emergencies- it also soundproofed the room. A helpful little jutsu indeed. The window made a banging noise making the Eagle jump slightly.

"What have you got for me today?" he asked the unresponsive bird. It looked at him unblinking. He reached the window and slid it up calmly. Outside was completely quiet, but he spotted Shikamaru walking further down a street whistling to himself. The Eagle padded in, extending to its full wing span and shook itself roughly.

Kakashi slowly untied the knot of the string, and caught the scroll before it rolled off its small body.

He unfurled the red cylinder. Inside was gold borders and the Mist's symbol- four vertical lines; kind of uncreative to theirs. The writing was neat and joined in black ink. A red wax mark was at the bottom with another symbol of the Mist Village, showing it was official.

It read, 'Lord Hokage, the latest mission of destroying the illegal underground ring, has gone well. Hinata and Sasuke rescued the captured ninja- two of which are Leaf and are being sent to you. There are no big missions at the moment, but there are smaller ones helping out villagers. I will assign them for now until something comes up. If you have any requests, please write back. The three of them are in good health, I suggest lowering their stay to four months so they can help more afflicted places. Thank you, the Fifth Mizukage, Mei.'

Kakashi placed the scroll firmly on his cluttered desk. 'So they're both doing fine, that's good. I guess getting along helps too,' he thought. Hinata was a good choice to come up with. Kakashi hoped she could give him some stability and someone to look to as a friend. It seemed she was perfect for the job as he hadn't killed her yet. Lowering their time spent at the Mist seemed a good idea, as helping many places would be effective. The return of two Leaf ninjas was a suprise though. They must have been taken on a mission outside. He'd have to send a thank you back; more writing!

Mei, though, must've made a mistake when she wrote 'three' instead of 'two'... Maybe. It was hard to know without being there, and he couldn't just leave the village defenceless. Well it wasn't defenceless with Naruto around, but he was on missions most of the time anyway- and when he wasn't, he was studying to be the Hokage. Still, Kakashi had the next best thing-

If a personal army under his direct control was handy for something, it was infiltration.

"Two-Face," he said randomly.

Seconds later, an Anbu ninja appeared out of thin air into his office by his short beckon. The Anbu wore a mask with different colours on each half. The left half was black, while the right half was white. His brown hair spiked upwards as he stood to attention.

"Yes my Lord?" Two-Faced said emotionlessly.

"I have an assignment for you. Your orders are to go to the Village Hidden in the Mist and report on Sasuke and Hinata's doings. Please remove your mask, you're identity shall be Ash for this mission," Kakashi ordered.

"Yes, sir," the Anbu nodded, and removed his dual coloured mask with his whole hand. Without the mask, the man's face was muscular, and his lips were thin. His eyes were a deep blue too.

"It's a one day report-and-leave mission. If you are found out, tell them 'you're there to check on Sasuke and Hinata by my order'. Is everything understood?"

"Yes, sir. Ash. Report-and-leave. One day. It will be done Lord Hokage," Ash relayed.

"I leave it to you. Scatter!" he exclaimed.

The Anbu flash stepped away fast, making some papers fly off his desk. He picked them up and returned them to their original position.

He then sat down, opening a drawer, and removed a official red scroll. Kakashi unrolled it and dipped his paintbrush into some ink, refreshing it. He wrote a short response back and stamped the required red Leaf symbol at the bottom. Tieing it to the Eagle's back, he let it fly back off through the window, locking it behind the bird.

"Now, Shikamaru said something about sleep?" he said to himself. There was no point in going back home, he found it fairly lonely and pointless anyway. Kakashi lay down on a leather sofa at the side of his office, and took his red Hokage hat off for more comfort.

The last thing on his mind was the truck load of stamping he had to do when he woke up.


	9. Secrets

Sasuke yawned silently- his eyes tearing up slightly- as he woke up on the leather couch. Another day in Kirigakure. At least he was free of missions for now. The last mission, against the underground ring, had taken a toll of him and left him fuming. He massaged his eyes with his palms and got into a seated position, his thoughts finally becoming unclouded. He yawned again.

Out of the living room window, the sun was clearly visible even under the haze of mist. People could be seen loitering around the place. A glance at the clock told him it was ten in the morning. He had had approximately eight hours of sleep; enough to live on.

Time to wake the team- if they weren't up already. A quick survey of his surroundings told him they were most likely still asleep.

Sasuke got up, clicking his knees, and headed towards the bedrooms. First, he chose to wake Hinata. He slid open the thin door, and entered her room. She was sleeping peacefully, curled up in a ball, in some blue silky pajamas. Her shoulder length hair concealed most of her face, while the rest of it covered the white pillow. While she was breathing softly, he checked out her room.

The bedroom was small and had the same design as the rest of the house. A bookcase rested at the foot of the single bed and a desk sat by the window. A door was on the far left leading to a clean bathroom.

Walking back over to her, he shook her shoulder lightly. She didn't stir, but she groaned slightly.

He tried again. "Hyūga. It's morning."

Hinata groaned more loudly this time and propped open a single, sleepy, eye. "Ahh!" she screamed, jumping backwards after spotting him. She collapsed off the other side of the bed, panting. Now off the bed, he could see her hair was sticking out from sleeping on it.

"Wow, I didn't think you were that scared of me," he smirked jokingly, straightening up while still looking at her.

She puffed out her cheeks, attempting to look frustrated, but failed miserably. "What do you expect when you're standing in front of me as I just wake up." Her brash side was so cute.

"A hello? Anyway it's morning, I'm going to wake Maruu and see if she'd like do anything," he said.

"O-ok, just don't freak her out. I'll make some breakfast," she smiled, shyness taking over again as the dominant side.

"Me? Freak her out? Please," he laughed, walking around the bed to her and offering his hand.

She took it and pulled herself up. "Thanks," she whispered, and shot off towards the en suite bathroom to freshen up.

Sasuke strolled into the room next door. Maruu was awake, wrapped in her blanket, head propped up against the headboard.

"You're up?" he asked.

"Hinata's scream woke me up," she giggled, "Hi, Mr Sasuke"

"Hi. It's just Sasuke. I don't like titles much," he replied.

"Ok! What are you doing today?"

"I'll tell you when breakfast is ready. For now you should get dressed"

"Alright," she finished, and ran off towards her own bathroom. He backed out of her room and went to sit at the table.

Ten minutes later, Hinata had finished getting ready and joined him in the kitchen/dining room hybrid. Her purple hair was now completely straight and she wore some casual clothes: a grey hoodie, and black skinny jeans. It suited her well, but it hid her body.

"Is Maruu up?" she asked.

"Yep, just getting ready. We can ask her in a minute"

"Ok. Is an omelette alright?"

"Yeah, that's fine"

Hinata made her way to the hob and set up a frying pan while taking out the necessary ingredients. As she stood there making their breakfast for him and Maruu, a random thought of happiness flooded through his being. Soon, the third member of their home came strutting through wearing clothes similar to Hinata. Her hair, though, was the same colour as his, save for a white streak in the fringe.

"What's to eat?" she asked, shaking her wet hair.

"Omelettes. I forgot to ask, do you like them?" Hinata berated herself.

"Yummy!" she grinned, "Are you going out again today?"

"No, we have today free so far. We wondered if you'd like to do anything since you know the place better than us," Sasuke said. He didn't know how to talk to kids whatsoever, so he just kept his usual personality active.

Maruu hummed it over out loud as Hinata placed the omelets in front of them. They smelled good and looked better than anything he had ever cooked- or fried- himself.

"Oh, I know, mother used to take me hiking so that we could have a picnic and go swimming. It's very high up though," Maruu shouted suddenly.

"High?" Sasuke asked intrigued.

"One of the rocks surrounding the Village, called Vrangr, can be climbed 'cause there're things at the top to do. It's really fun!"

"You mean the mountain sized stones around the Village?"

"Yep," she quipped back.

They were ginormous. He and Hinata could get up them with relative ease, but Maruu? "Are you sure you can make it?"

"Sure! I love going up. We used to watch the sun rise"

"It sounds nice, Sasuke-kun. Can we try it?" Hinata questioned.

"If Maruu believes she can make it without getting tired, sure," he said jokingly.

"If I can't, you can always give me a piggyback up," Maruu said smugly.

He laughed at the gall of the girl.

"Cheeky," he smiled, eyeing Hinata. She giggled back.

"It's settled then. I'll get started on a picnic," Hinata asked.

"Yay!" Maruu cheered.

"Want some help?" he said. He didn't want her to do everything.

"Sure. Sasuke the picnic maker," she smiled, and set to work.

"Hn."

Half an hour later, he and Hinata had completed the picnic. It was stuffed full of water, fruit, sandwiches, and sugary snacks. The whole thing was placed in a brown scroll Hinata had picked up when she went shopping. More storage space for when they leave. Sasuke had taken off his cloak for the walk and offered to carry the scroll and anything else on their trip. Hinata agreed to that too. They all didn't bother with swimming gear, as it was far to cold for a leisurely swim.

"Ready, Maruu?" Hinata said, standing by the front door.

"Yep! Let's go!"

Hinata locked the door sharply as they left the house for the outside world. The breeze was light, but the bite of the cold was still present around them. None of the stones hiding the city could be seen over the tall buildings or hazy fog.

A spike of chakra was felt close to him, but after a quick check for killing intent, he dismissed it wearily. It was probably just a Mist ninja. Hinata and Maruu hadn't noticed it but where looking at him.

"What is it?" Hinata checked.

"Nothing."

"...Come on then."

"Yeah."

As they walked down the street, they all fell in line with one another. Maruu was between them looking excited about the prospect of climbing the stone. Sasuke honestly had no idea it could be traversed for fun, or at all. He supposed it would make for a great view though, being up ridiculously high and looking over the Village like a God would look over his subjects.

Hinata was looking around at the collection of shops and wierd looking buildings. He followed her gaze and found himself looking at a restaurant. It was called 'Mist Fish'. He put image to words as he realised it was the one Yoto and Irimi enjoyed to visit. There were tables and chairs outside- though no one occupied them- as well as inside. The windows had a blue fish sticker on them, and if that wasn't enough to tell you is was a fish shop, the fishy smell definitely confirmed it. Unfortunately, the day wasn't Saturday so Yoto and Irimi wouldn't be having anything to eat there at that time. He hoped they were still around when they were leaving; it would be good to get a boat ride back from someone they knew. It was doubtful they were sticking around though. It had been a week since they made it to Kirigakure, and they still had nearly eight months left.

Inns where still open and packed full of drunken idiots filling their stomachs. 'They must spend an awful lot of money doing so.'

They even passed a ninja academy school along the way. This was interesting as the Village used to be referred to as the 'Blood Mist Village' due to having students kill each other for a promotion. Zabuza was a victim of that way of life and he was scarred greatly because of it. Now though, with Mei incharge of the Mist, they had stopped that practice some years ago and adopted the traditional way of every other village. The school was currently doing training with new graduates showing off their underdeveloped skills in ninjutsu and tijitsu. It was fairly pitiful. Was he like that once too? How embarrassing.

After walking a fair distance, they came to a standstill at the Village gates. Three ninjas dressed in black flack jackets were guarding the gate, allowing people in for trade and occupation. A old man with grey hair slowly pushed a cart of dumplings past them after being let in.

"Your business leaving?" a short woman guarding the right side of the gate asked.

"Travelling up the Vrangr stone? Fun?" Sasuke frowned back.

"Tiresome trip. There are guides near the base of the rock. You may leave," she said, pointing.

"Hn"

"Thank you," Hinata intervened.

He shook his head at her politeness. They carried on through the open gates and followed a gravel path towards said stone.

The pathway was extremely uninteresting to him but it excited Maruu a great deal.

"I haven't done this for ages," she said with an obvious emphasis on the word 'ages'.

"Oh yeah? When was the last time you came?" Hinata asked joyfully. She looked to be enjoying her time too. Almost as if she was a small child as well.

"A year, I think?"

"How's the walk up?" he checked in.

"Very hard, but it's worth it for the stuff on top. You'll love it, I bet you," she assured.

"Oh yeah? What do you wanna bet?"

"If you don't love it, you have to... umm... carry me all the way down and buy me an ice cream," she decided, laughing.

"We shall see then," he smiled back. Hinata was smiling at him. Her smile was so pretty, just like everything else about her.

Eventually, they happened upon the Vrangr rock. Seeing it from afar and seeing it up close was suddenly very different. He'd only seen it omce when he was walking back from the Bandit camp, but standing underneath it made him feel absolutely tiny in comparison. He was like a bee next to the Hokage tower. A good way to describe it. Smaller boulders littered the ground around it, and the shrubbery was clearly overgrown. Sasuke could see the start if the stair path coiling around the stone to the top.

It might very well of been taller than his fully formed Perfect Susanoo. Maybe he could check one day? Doubtful.

"Aha! New visitors I see! Come to climb Vrangr Rock?" a voice exclaimed.

They whipped around and came face to face with a burly man wearing brown farmer clothes and had matching brown spiky hair. A tattoo of a mermaid was on his left bicep, and a scar ran along his brow.

"Are you the guide?" Sasuke questioned. He had no doubt that something bad could accidentally happen on the way up. A guide would help considerably, even if it did irk him slightly.

"Indeed, laddy! Kurt's the name! Happy to help out for ten ryo!" Kurt continued to shout annoyingly. At least ten ryo wasn't bad. Kurt looked at him then at Hinata curiously, "Ah I see you're out on a romantic date to look at the view! Five ryo instead, laddy!"

At that, Hinata blushed furiously and Sasuke was almost lost for words. "It is not a romantic date. Just a fun activity for the kid," he said, almost spitting. Hinata nodded quickly agreeing with him.

"Ah! A fun activity with your Girlfriend!"

Hinata went even more red. Sasuke felt some bottled up anger come undone. "She isn't my Girlfriend"

"Sure, whatever you say laddy!" he said sarcastically, and looked at Maruu, "Hey, Maruu!"

"Hey, Mr Kurt!" Maruu shouted back, laughing at their conversation.

"You know each other?" Hinata asked, now that the spotlight wasn't on her.

"Why, of course! I've worked here for twenty years as a guide! Maruu and her Mother came up many times across the years! We became good friends us! Speaking of which, where is Ms. Sintary?" he said, curious.

Sasuke's throat dried at the question while Hinata looked down. Sasuke walked over to Kurt, his back facing Maruu and Hinata, and whispered, "She was found deceased a few weeks ago, we are... looking after her for the time being. Maruu was found among Bandits who kidnapped her. She doesn't know yet, please don't say anything to upset her"

Kurt's face fell upon hearing Sasuke, and he gulped. "O-of course. Thanks for taking good care of Maruu. I'm sure her Mother would be thankful too... But poor Maruu" he whispered back, before raising his voice again, "You know what? Let's get on up this rock! Free of charge! Come on Maruu, you can tell me what you've been up too."

Hinata thanked Kurt as he walked past her to accompany Maruu in front. Sasuke came up next to Hinata.

"I told him what happened. He won't say anything. But we should... soon," Sasuke spoke.

"O-ok, Sasuke-kun,"

He took her hand in his and she peered up at him through unshed tears. He squeezed her hand lightly to comfort her; he wasn't good at this stuff. It worked however when she smiled weakly at him and returned the favour.

With his hand still in her own soft one, he said, "We should catch up." She nodded once and they turned to follow their guide and Maruu- who was currently laughing at one of the man's jokes. By the Sage that man was loud.

For the first portion of the Vrangr rock, they were treated to their personal guide telling them the history of the rock, myths, and the different types of rock that made it whole. Sasuke's favourite myth was the one where a insanly huge, ancient crab, who was supposedly scared of storms, crawled under the Earth thousands of years ago to escape the scary rumbling sound. On its shell were ten giant rocks making a pattern that evidently stayed sticking up through the ground leaving what everyone saw today. It really was a interesting story, but Maruu had already heard it so she soon tuned out. It almost made Sasuke want to go see if it was true although he wouldn't say that out loud. A village sized crab scared of a little lightning; hilarious!

After their guide finished telling them everything he knew, they were apparently three quarters of the way up. Everything looked the same and he had a enormous case of Deja Vu. Barriers were erected towards the top of the rock as the wind grew unbearably strong, thankfully.

They even came across a small cave naturally built into the stone. Inside, were many small pools of water spilling out into one another. It looked magical. Hinata seemed equally charmed at the sight.

Soon they burst through the cloud layer and the famous mist dissapated into nothing. There were clear skies all around them, but the wind was still relentless towards them.

In front of them, Maruu had successfully baited Kurt into carrying her up the last leg of the journey. She was pulling on his brown locks as he steered her up the pathway. Sasuke suspected Kurt felt sorry for Maruu's luck and would do anything to help out.

Meanwhile, Hinata and him were conversing about how to break the news to Maruu. They were still undecided on it, so they dropped the ugly subject. Their hands were still in one anothers, but neither of them went to retract them. It had become a comforting and nice thing for both of them, so they didn't mind doing it from time to time, which made Sasuke very happy as he liked holding her hand for some reason.

Suddenly, the steps stopped abruptly and squared off leaving a threatening drop on the other side.

"We're here, boys and girls!" Kurt exclaimed.

Sasuke looked up and could see there was still a ways to go. About twenty feet till the top.

"But the tops up there?" Hinata said confused, causing Sasuke to nod in agreement.

"We're not at the top," he replied, making them even more confused, "We're by the lift"

"Lift?" Sasuke frowned.

"Come onto the platform, and don't fall off," he laughed beckoning them to join him. Maruu laughed as well, clearly in on the unfunny joke.

Sasuke and Hinata wearily approached the platform that Kurt stood on and rooted their feet. Sasuke had sort of caught on to what he was going to do.

Kurt pushed his palm into the stone wall and then moved it upwards. "Earth Style: Earthen Pillar Lift." The platform they stood on raised seamlessly up the side of the stone, pushing them skywards. So the guide could use chakra, huh? Hinata had pushed herself into his body gripping him tightly. He forgot she was scared of heights.

"It's OK, Hyūga. Don't feint, just focus on me," he shouted over the rushing wind circling them. She squeezed him tighter and looked into his eyes, her breathing returning to normal. He sighed silently.

As soon as they reached the top, Sasuke stepped onto the solid ground with Hinata in tow. She was still holding his hand, but had calmed down.

"Could've warned us," Sasuke told Kurt, who just shrugged.

"I like seeing people's reactions," he said then motioned around him, "Welcome to the Vrangr haven"

In the midst of being frustrated with Kurt, they had forgotten they had made it to the top. Utopia was a accurate way to describe it.

Hinata stood and her jaw dropped seconds after his. Strange wildlife roamed the flat ground and the small habitats around. Purple and pink leaved trees stood proudly above them, each hundreds of years old. A small, deep lake of water was present in the middle for humans to swim in and for animals to drink from. Bushes and fences surrounded them from all sides forming a protective barrier from the deadly drop. Butterflies and whistling birds flew around exotic flowers happily. It was like a fantasy, or a dream.

"I see by your reactions it's more than what you expected," Kurt continued, nudging Maruu.

"Told you you'd love it, Sasuke! Haha, that's yummy ice cream for me. Can I help with the Picnic Hinata?" Maruu exclaimed, happily. He supposed he should be annoyed at losing a bet, but it didn't seem to matter that much and he accepted defeat.

"S-sure, where should we set up?" Hinata asked.

"Over here's the best!" she replied pointing to a clearing near the edge and close to the water. Their voices were soon drowned out as they ran off to unfurl the scroll he gave them.

Kurt walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "When will you tell her?"

"...Soon, I can't keep the truth from her anymore," he said.

"Good choice. She's a clever girl. You two are great with her I can see. I just hope she understands is all"

Sasuke was slightly touched by his words of wisdom, and agreed.

"Yeah, me too," he said softly, "What are you going to do now?"

"Wait here, unless you can jump off the rock by yourself," Kurt joked.

A thought popped into Sasuke's brain. It wasn't very clever, but if he could pull it off it would be an amazing experience. Besides, he had contingency plan if it failed.

"I might have an ides about that. You can go, it's pointless staying up here waiting for us when you have better things to do"

"What do you intend to do, laddy?"

"This-"

Ten minutes later, Sasuke came and sat down on the mat that was set down. The food was in a wicker basket, and Hinata and Maruu were watching the view. Sasuke had just finished briefing Kurt on his idea causing Kurt to laugh heartily and wish him good luck. He then made his way all the way back down. Surely it must get boring doing that all the time?

"Where's Kurt?" Hinata checked.

"He went back down," he replied making the others frantically ask 'why?'

"Don't worry, I have it under control. I'll tell you later. Right now I'm starving after that darned walk."

"Me too!" Marru nodded, forgetting the matter instantly. Hinata held on to it but soon forgot it too.

The picnic was a nice touch to their not-so-little trip. Eating ham and cheese sandwiches while watching the sun shine away and the birds fly around was peaceful. Animals of all sorts started approaching them when they sussed out that neither of them were a threat, leading to a lot of petting and feeding. They also played a quick game of tag- much to Sasuke's annoyed protests.

Soon, they had their feet in the lake to relieve some stress from the hike up. It wasn't as cold as he thought it would be, due to the trees holding back the wind and the sun being unaffected by a layer of clouds and mist.

"We should tell her," Sasuke told Hinata, so Maruu couldn't hear, "About her Mother"

"Y-you think so? Now? It would ruin her day completely and leave her devastated," she replied.

Sasuke thought for a moment, his feet washing back and forth. She was right.

"You're right. It would make a good trip turn sour instantly," he said, "The house? We could tell her then. There she can be close to her room and not it the open"

"Y-yeah, I think that's best. How do we broach the topic?"

"Honestly, so that she knows we're here for her"

"Ok"

The time was beginning to weigh on them. It had taken them about an hour and a half to traverse the Vrangr Rock and they had been on the top for three hours straight. The cloud cover was returning in full force and the mist was starting to affect their sight.

"Hey Maruu, getting tired?" Sasuke announced.

"Nope!" was the reply.

"Are you sure? Don't you want your ice cream?" he said smugly.

"Oh yes! I forgot 'bout that! My favourite flavour is strawberry"

"Well there's lots waiting for you back in the Village. What do you say?"

"Yes please! Let's go," she stopped, "Are we going back down the boring steps?"

"I have a better idea," he said bringing them both over, "I'm going to summon my Hawk contract and fly us down!"

"S-Sasuke-kun! It's so high! Definitely not," Hinata exclaimed, over Maruu's innocent delight.

"I can teleport us down if you really want, but you'll miss out on the beautiful view. It's a once in a lifetime experience, Hyūga," he tempted her.

"You know I'm afraid of heights. I'll just end up fainting on the way missing the view anyway," she argued.

"I'll be right with you. Just focus on me and nothing else. I won't let you fall, trust me"

"Come on, Hinata" Maruu jeered aswell.

"F-fine only if you summon a big Hawk though," she demanded, making him grin.

"Of course"

Sasuke walked towards a big, undisturbed clearing, making sure it was big enough for the summoning. It was. Confirming it, he bit his right thumb and drew blood. Slamming it into the ground, a puff of smoke filled his lungs and his surroundings.

A Hawk- Suzaku- appeared out of thin air, summoned from the Hawk mountains somewhere unfindable. Suzaku was a general in the Hawk's air army, and was fairly big. His wing span was around eighteen metres and from head to tail he was around twelve metres. His feathers were black and corse. His talons were as big as Sasuke's katana, and just as sharp. An effective killing machine, and as it happened, a good bird to have a leisurely fly on.

"Lord Sasuke, how may I be of assistance?" Suzaku said. His voice was ancient and rumbling, but also wise. It resembled two boulders grinding perpetually together.

"General Suzaku, I need you to fly us down this mountain sized rock," Sasuke ordered bringing Maruu and Hinata over.

"Woah! This birdy is huge, and he can talk," Maruu screamed excited. Suzaku looked happy at her words for some reason.

"This... should be-," Hinata said shakily.

"You'll be fine"

"Of course, Lord Sasuke. Please, get on. The Hawk Sage requests your presence whenever it is most convenient for you," Suzaku added.

Sasuke groaned silently as he helped the two hop on the tall Hawk. He hated helping his summons, but it kept him in their good books so it had to be done. It was mostly just helping with their war against the Owls anyway.

"Please hold on tightly," Suzaku stated.

Sasuke whispered in Suzaku's... ear? and referred his instructions to put on a show. He then sat behind Hinata circling her waist with his arms and rooting himself to the bird with chakra. Maruu sat in front of Hinata holding on tightly to a tuft of feathers and smiled brightly. Hinata's breathing escalated as they neared the edge. His grip tightened and he said once again, "It's OK, you'll be fine."

Even Sasuke's stomach lurched a bit when they reache the edge of the Vrangr Rock. Bits of stones broke off under Suzaku's weight and fell to the ground. Looking down gave him a sickly feeling. He couldn't see anything, but the wind had picked up.

Suzaku lurched forward off the giant stone and into the air. Hinata screamed piercingly while Maruu screamed out of enjoyment. His Hawk headed towards the ground with frightening speed as it folded its wings.

"I can't do this!" Hinata shouted at the top of her voice.

"It's a bit late now. Suzaku, level out more. Take us down slowly," he commanded. Shortly after, Suzaku opened his wings again, catching the wind, and slowing his descent.

"Look at the Village, Hyūga. You can see everything up here," he shouted back, going to hold her hand in front of him.

It was true. Flying was an advantage he loved to have over opponents. It was exillerating and freeing. The Mist was in full view, everything from the Kage building, to the nine other stones, and even their apartment if you looked closely.

"Be brave. You'll never get over your fear else," he encouraged her.

"Try it, Hinata, it's awesome," Maruu shouted over her shoulder.

He could sense Hinata open her eyes as she turned her head bothways. Her grip relaxed a small bit.

"Wow" she whispered to herself, and he lost it to the wind.

"What!?"

"It's amazing!" she shouted this time.

"Told ya'," Maruu butted in.

Hinata's grip completely loosened and she returned his hand holding.

"Suzaku, bring us down near the gates," Sasuke ordered.

"Yes, my Lord"

Suzaku dipped one wing downwards and they went into a controlled dive. He spiraled around staying in one specific spot before flapping his overgrown wings once more. The grass rustled around them, and leaves were kicked up by the force of his wings. Suzaku's talons stabbed into the ground and held them there as they dismounted. Sasuke got off first and helped the other two. Hinata's knees buckled at the sudden ground beneath their feet.

"Again!" Maruu cheered on repeat.

"Never again. A height is one thing, that was over the top. Next time we're teleporting," Hinata said seriously.

"Yeah, yeah, you loved it really"

Some time later, Suzaku burst back into smoke and disappeared back to his home.

"Ice cream!" Maruu pointed out.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and they set off for Kirigakure. They arrived at the gates as they weren't far from them. The same small woman allowed them back through after a chat about how their trip went. Sasuke looked back at the Vrangr Rock, its size now tiny from the distance. It made him see how from different points of view, something could be completely different.

They found the ice cream shop fairly quickly as Maruu knew exactly where the closest one was. 'Kiri Kream' it was aptly named. He got Maruu a strawberry ice cream, and a chocolate one for Hinata after some pushing, before handing over the small amount of ryo.

"Thank you for the food," Maruu exclaimed and digged in. He sort of wanted one, but he also wanted his flawless reputation to be unblemished, and licking ice cream was a certain way to be laughed at.

As he watched them while they strolled down the street, a Anbu member flash stepped into his face.

"Uchiha, The Mizukage needs you to clear a boulder stopping water supplies by the river. You are to then report directly to her," the Anbu with a demon mask ordered him, before flash stepping away again.

He sighed at his luck. Being stopped just after a good trip irked him. He shouldn't be complaining though, he was brought here to help. At least it sounded like an easy mission.

"Do you want some help?" Hinata offered.

"Nah, go do whatever, I'll finish this quickly," he finished and jumped away himself.

 **Gobey River.**

"How on Earth did this get here?" Sasuke frowned, looking at the problem.

A boulder three times his size was blocking the river and not allowing any water through the gaps to go to taps, showers, and other things.

"No idea. I was walking by for my afternoon stroll and saw it here," a man with a heavy accent told him.

Great so he didn't know either. There was no way it could have walked here, someone had to have been behind it.

"Can you get it out of the way," a woman asked.

"Of course," he snapped back, "Stand back"

A crowd had quickly gathered around him, and the river, watching his every movement with a wary eye. Weren't they supposed to be somewhere?

He channelled his chakra reserves into his real arm and forced it out. "Chidori!" It snapped into lighting at a quick word and he felt the familiar pull of chakra leaving him. Obviously it wasn't significant enough to feel taxing upon him. Once upon a time he could make a mere two, now he could make hundreds and keep them running near indefinitely.

People jumped back quickly as he rammed his fist into the side of the boulder. As a result, it split in two before shattering into an infinite amount of sharp shards. The river surged forward; the blockage removed.

Sasuke spotted a scroll spinning through the bubbled water. He fished it out and checked on it. His face hardened.

People around him stared silently, then gradually starting... clapping? Yes, they clapped for him. That was a first for him. He dismissed it a moment later, it wasn't the time.

Before he was swarmed by 'thank yous', Sasuke flash stepped out of the vicinity and reappeared next to the Mizukage Tower. The two usual guards took up a defensive stance when he appeared out of thin air.

"Move," he said simply.

They hesitated, but a glare from him sent them sliding the door out of his way. Inside, he made his way up to Mei's office. Again, two Anbu guards stood watch.

"Move," he repeated harshly.

They too opened the door letting him in, this time without hesitation. They were trained to know when something was wrong.

"Ah, Sasuke. Where have you been today. I couldn't get a hold of you," Mei stated. She was twirling in her chair eyeing him amusingly.

"We took Maruu out," he grunted.

"Ah. I trust it went well?"

"Yes"

"And the recent mission?"

"I removed the boulder, but found something inside it," he conveyed, handing over the blue scroll.

Mei curiously opened it and read it aloud. "More will come ~The Shan. What does that mean?"

"I believe the group calls themselves 'The Shan' and will carry on doing things like block your water supply. It might even escalate, though I have no idea about their demands," he shared.

"Yes, I think you're right. I've never heard of this particular group, have you? Did you see anyone in particular that stood out?"

"Not a thing. By your orders, I'd like to find out who they are," he asked.

"Really?" she said, he gave a nod, "Well then, you shall find out who these people are and what they want. Then report back your findings. This mission will most likely take some time due to having no leads"

"Maybe"

She exhaled sharply and opened her drawer. "Another scroll from the Hokage arrived today. Here," she uttered handing it over to him.

"I should also tell you we've decided to let Maruu know tonight," he added.

"Her mother?"

"Yes. I wanted to ask... If she has no relatives remaining in the Mist, then if she wants, may she remain with us until we find someone who she is related too," he finished.

"Stay with you? There isn't anyone in the Mist remaining, but won't it be dangerous for her? Even if she can find some distant relative," Mei responded.

"She asked to be trained, and I will personally make sure she never comes to harm. On my life. If you happen to find record of a family member elsewhere, then I will immediately take her there"

"It's a hard decision. Are you sure you can take up the responsibility? You'd be her protector and legal guardian," she said thinking.

"I don't want to see her in an orphanage. Taking her along for an adventure some kids only dream about seems more fun than staying in one. Maruu knows us now and trusts us. I think it would be for the best," he replied confidently.

"You make a good argument," she sighed, "If you keep her safe and promise to give her to a relative when found, she can stay with you if she chooses. But, if she is harmed in any way, I will have you thrown in prison. Understood?"

Now he had two people wanting to harm him if he let harm come to his teammates. "Understood."

"Excellent. Dismissed. Good luck with the mission."

A few minutes later and Sasuke was travelling towards his house. It was late afternoon and some people were still going about their business. The new group calling themselves 'The Shan', was certainly a mystery. What could they possibly want or need that wasn't already open to them? Were they Mist shinobi, or a seperate faction operating alone? Most importantly though, was where to find said information. He couldn't just go into an inn again like last time. Chances are no one would have a clue about it. The only reason he had managed to get info on the underground was by a chance meeting with the psychotic boss of the place. No way that would happen twice. So how?

A spark of chakra launched at him from an alley way. He quickly traced the source and made his way around the corner.

No one. That was the second time that had happened today. The first time leaving the apartment, and again arriving at the apartment. Weird. It must be just a coincidence.

'Whatever,' he dismissed and got back on the path to his house.

Sasuke soon discovered his target location and let himself in. The lights were off because it was still light outside. Maruu and Hinata sat on the sofa chatting.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun, how was your mission?" Hinata checked.

He sank into the seat beside her. "Easy enough, but there was a message left behind. Some new group taunting the Mizukage. I'll tell you about it later," he said, watching Maruu.

She picked up on his warnings. "Ok".

"Another scroll from Kakashi"

"Really? What does it say?"

"I haven't opened it. I was waiting for you," he told her, and retracted the scroll from a pocket.

It was a blue tipped, smaller scroll. He unfurled it and Maruu went to sit at the window giving them privacy. As usual, the inside was bordered gold and it had the leaf symbol stamped at the bottom.

It read, 'Congratulations on completing the Underground mission, The Mizukage informs me all went well. She has also brang to light how it would be unesccesary to keep you two there for eight months when you can help out more places that are desperate instead. Because of this, your time in the Mist has been reduced to four months. Good luck, and well done.'

"Four months, huh?" he repeated, "That seems wise. Guess we better step up our game"

"Y-yeah. What about Maruu though?" she said, worried.

"I've talked to Mei about whether Maruu can can with us of she chooses once we tell her. She has allowed it until we find a relative elsewhere"

"Ok, that's fair," Hinata agreed, "Do we tell her now?"

He sighed, "Yes, let's get it over with. Maruu, you can come back now, we want to tell you something"

She jumped over to them, sitting between them. "What is it?"

He looked towards Hinata before dropping his gaze to the floor.

"It's to do with your Mother," Hinata started. He gulped.

"She's... she's..."

"I know," Maruu whispered.

"Y-you know? H-how?"

"The p-people that took me taunted me all the time. I didn't want to believe t-them about it, but..."

Silence ushered in, and he found himself suddenly incredibly proud that Maruu had braved through something unbearable at her age.

"I'm so sorry, Maruu," Hinata cried.

"She was the best Mum ever. Taking me out for trips, food, teaching me amazing things and I loved her so m-much," continued Maruu.

Tears formed under Maruu's eyelids and flowed like a dam being broken. She leaned in and hugged him and Hinata so tight he could barely breath. I didn't matter though, as long as he was a source of comfort for a crying girl. Hinata had also started tearing up but refused to allow them to fall. Sasuke's normal stoic face turned softer, and he felt genuinely sorry for once.

He looked to Hinata, who was returning the hug kindly, and stared thoughtlessly into her lavender orbs for what seemed like an eternity.

"Maruu. I know this is a hard time, I went through it myself, but I want to let you know that... if you'd like to come with us, when we leave, then please let us know. You don't have to answer now. Think about it," he comforted quietly.

Maruu's sobbing slowed for a moment as she attempted to find a suitable answer.

"T-thank y-you," she mumbled into his shirt and buried her face even further into his chest to continue letting out her grief.

 **Konoha.**

Kakashi peered up from the paper he had been reading. Apparently Naruto and Sakura had been getting along swimmingly in their missions, and Naruto had been recommended to become a Jonin finally. It was sure long overdue. Kakashi settled to tell Naruto when he was next in the Village. That'd definitely brighten up his week. He had been fairly miserable without Sasuke around, Sakura was the only one keeping him going really.

The sudden spike of familiar chakra was what had Kakashi look up. Seeing it was Two-Face, Kakashi refocused his attention. It had been three days since he sent the Anbu captain on his mission, and he was adamant to learn about Sasuke's private doings.

Two-Face was once again wearing his dual coloured mask to hide his identity. It was indeed an interesting design.

"Two-Face- or Ash- how bared your mission?" he asked, putting his hands together to appear more like a Hokage.

"Well, my Lord," the Anbu adressed him, causing Kakashi to roll his eyes at the honorific, "It went without compromise."

"That's good news," he nodded, "So, what did you learn?"

Two-Face paused for an uncomfortable amount of time before speaking. "Sasuke seemed to be doing fine. He was tasked with destroying a boulder blocking the water supply of the Village. He completed the task without a hitch, and was even cheered at. Also, I watched him go hiking up the Vrangr Rock with Hinata. He was holding her hand, and they were looking after a... kid. They called her, I believe, Maruu, who looked about nine to eleven years old. He went inside soon after so I lost visual and left."

Kakashi was overwhelmed with knowledge by Two-Face. Sasuke was actually showing some human emotions for a change? He and Hinata... holding hands? And looking after kid aswell? How did that come to pass?

He was happy for his student of course, and for Hinata, but did he really deserve her? Rushing to conclusion wouldn't help his case at all though. For now he had to observe and wait. It might of just been a action between friends or for comfort.

"Well, that's certainly interesting," Kakashi thought out loud. He then addressed his subordinate, "I need you to continue your reconnaissance when Sasuke and Hinata make it to the Sand Village. See if you can learn more."

"Yes, Lord Hokage. Am I still to return to regular duties for the next four months?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes! Thank you for your work. Dismissed," he finished.

Two-Face left the office without a trace seconds later, leaving a very confused and intrigued Kakashi Hatake behind.

'You're an interesting character, Sasuke,' thought the Sixth Hokage, pulling over the current paperwork.

 **Hello, thanks for reading the chapter. Another longer one, too. Kakashi is now confused about Sasuke and Hinata which will make for an awkward reunion later on down the line. Next chapter will most likely be a big time skip because the Mist is getting tiring to write, there will be about three more chapters at Kirigakure before we get to the Sand, where the romance will finally start. At the moment, Sasuke and Hinata are getting more comfortable with each other and it will escalate soon! I realise Sasuke is a bit out of character near the end, but I wanted to show how Hinata is making an impact on him. Anyway, thanks for following the fic and I would love more reviews they help alot. Any suggestions are welcome.**

 **~UE**


	10. The Shan Pt1

Naruto watched with unease and disinterest as Sakura handed over the trade agreement to Lord Margo specifying that the once booming trade between the smaller village and the Leaf, would carry on without a hitch. The previous treaty was null and void after five years, and Naruto and Sakura had been sent by the Hokage to try and continue it. Lord Margo's village, the Village of Bronze, was, as its name suggested, positioned next to a mountain of different metals like brass. With the Leafs' inadequate amount of precious metals, the Hokage had turned to Lord Margo for a trade agreement. Metals for Knowledge and Money- lots of money.

"And why should I sign this trade agreement with the Leaf when many other offers have been coming to me promising a lot of money?" the posh Lord asked. His voice was highly annoying. God, he sounded like Sasuke. Naruto covered his mouth with a hand, fearful that he might burst out laughing. That wouldn't bode well for their mission.

Lord Margo wore a grey robe that touched the floor where he sat. Underneath, he had a purple shirt with a royal sash keeping his unimpressive belly in line. His subjects kneeled around him, watching the situation unfold.

"How do you know that these promises can be fulfilled?" Sakura frowned innocently. She did the talking on their missions, she was good at it.

"We... don't," the Lord eyed her angrily. He took out a white fan from beneath his robes and started cooling himself off, though it wasn't particularly warm to Naruto.

"Then that's why you should consider continuing our beneficial trade," Sakura assured.

"Twenty thousand ryo a year," one of his subjects bargained. Uh oh, she was going to make Sakura mad.

Sakura raised a eyebrow, her emerald coloured diamond seal creasing at her brow. "Fifteen thousand. And by the Hokage's orders, the Leaf are to send help if your village is ever danger."

Lord Margo thought it over to himself, before whispering to the men and women around him. Nods and shakes of heads were exchanged briefly. Finally, the village head turned to them and nodded also.

"Done."

"Great! You won't regret it," she smiled, handing over the necessary documents.

The Lord quickly glanced over them, feigning interest, before clapping his hands together. A servant came running up behind him shortly after, she was a young woman dressed in a white Kimono. She handed an ink pot and feather to him and left, stopping only to bow to them.

With a swish of his wrist, Lord Margo painted his credentials across the trade agreement and stamped it with a red symbol Naruto couldn't make out. He then handed the papers back to Sakura and intertwined his hands.

"Our treaty stands for another five years. Give Lord Hokage my regards, won't you?" he smirked. Sakura just bowed in return, and pointed to him making him follow her immediately.

Once they were out of range, Sakura turned to him, hands on her hips.

"We got the treaty at least, no thanks to your laughing," she said.

He gulped, "You heard that? Well maybe we should just head home, yes home sounds good. Race you there."

He shot off towards the Leaf Village, hearing Sakura grinding her teeth together behind him. The Village of Bronze wasn't too far away thankfully, just a few hours west of the Leaf where the mountains were situated.

It was raining on their path home, so they resorted to playing games so as to distract themselves. One such game was 'Who could stay quiet the longest,' which Sakura thought up. He lost many many times.

After the dreary walk, the only thing keeping their hopes up was the treaty they had managed to complete. Kakashi sensei didn't think that it would carry on after it expired but sent them out anyway as Naruto had insisted.

Eventually though, they made it to their Villages' gates. The guards welcomed him in at a glance, waving all the while. He hadn't really become used to all the attention he received now that he was a supposed 'war hero.'

As they made their way to the Hokage building, more people mobbed him asking for autographs and offering up presents. He glady accepted, not wanting to make anyone upset. Sakura grumbled everytime they were stopped short. At the steak barbecue restaurant, their friends all sat eating and chuckling. Choji had insisted that he join them on the house, but after telling them they had to report to Kakashi, he let them go to return to his food. Choji loved meat as much as he lived for Ramen noodles.

Inside the Hokages' office, Kakashi and Shikamaru sat stamping away at papers. Was that the same pile as when they left?

"Naruto! Sakura! How'd it go?" Kakashi smiled when he saw them.

"We renewed the trade agreement, Sensei," Sakura stated, waving the sheet of paper in front of his face.

"Really? You did? Well, that's a welcome suprise"

"It was easy, ya know," he exclaimed, giving Kakashi a thumbs up.

Sakura placed the extra paperwork on his desk and then rejoined him. Kakashi looked over the document and then looked at him.

"Great job you two!" Kakashi assured, "This is actually the perfect time to tell you, Naruto"

"Tell me what?" he asked curiously.

"I've decided to promote you to Jonin after many recommendations from other Jonin. I would do the same for Sakura, but she's already Jonin, as you know"

Naruto processed the information, and his blue eyes widened as he smiled. He'd been promoted to Jonin! Hah, take that Sasuke! He was still a Genin at seventeen, this would surely make that emo jealous.

"The ceremony will be held whenever you're free to do so, so no more missions for a while," Kakashi said, stamping another piece of paper.

"T-thanks, Kakashi Sensei!," his ears felt hot and he scratched the back of his head with his his bandaged arm.

"Congratulations, Naruto. You deserve it," Sakura nudged him. He laughed to himself, showing off his toothy grin. Things were looking up. Maybe Sakura would want to celebrate with him?

 **The Hawk Mountains.**

'Could this get any worse?,' Sasuke questioned himself, pushing his raven hair out of his eyes yet again. He had forgotten how utterly wet the mountains where the Hawks resided really were. He had been there for just under five hours placing mediocre seals around the base of the mountain which repelled small Owls attempting to go that way. It didn't do much to the bigger, more stronger Owls, but Sasuke, not being a seal master, placed them anyway. 'Every little helps,' the Hawk Sage had told him.

Once he finished the task, the Hawk that was there to guard him (as if he needed guarding) flew him back up to the peak of the tall mountain. Snow was sprinkled on the very top and smaller Hawks circled the sky on look out. Every so often, Sasuke spotted larger Hawks perched on little crags in the Mountain.

At the top, the Mountain opened up into a huge Hawk-made cave that shielded them from the elements and acted as a base camp.

No matter how many times Sasuke visited the Sage, he was always impressed by his size. The sage's head was as tall as him, and his eyes were as round as his own head. The talons were like spears which cracked into the rocky ground at his every step. His feathered wings were almost always folded away, but when opened, were truly a sight to behold. It was a miracle that the overgrown bird could even fly at all.

"It is done, summoner?" the Sage grumbled. His voice was like a storm rumbling, ancient and wise.

He nodded, "They're all placed. How goes the war?"

The Sage snapped his beak angrily at the thought before replying, "The fluffy birds have kept up their raids on our lands". The fluffy birds being the Owls they so despised. He had heard the Owls had their own nickname for the Hawks, something along the lines of 'Beady eyed freaks.'

"I see"

"With your help, though, we shall defeat them. You have my thanks. My summonings are at your service whenever you need," the Hawk said backing up.

"Of course"

"Sunmoner, you have a visitor it seems," the Sage spoke, tilting his head.

Sasuke wondered what he meant, when Hawks started becoming alert behind him. He spun around and came face to face with his old sensei. The Snake Sanin himself: Orochimaru. The unnatural man had changed his body once again and looked a lot more feminine. His features were defined, but his skin was still a pale white. A purple snake wrapped around his torso was the thing causing the ruckus with the Hawks though.

"Ah, my dear Sasuke! Fancy seeing you here. Karin is very sad at you leaving," Orochimaru hissed, his tongue darting in and out. Sasuke kept on his emotionless mask, trying to look unconcerned by his arrival.

"Actually, I was just leaving," he turned to the Sage, "Can you reverse summon me."

"Indeed."

"Aw, not staying around for your sensei? Shame, I had wanted to talk to you about Tom," Orochimaru smirked, crossing his arms.

Sasuke stopped the Hawk reverse summoning him with a wave of a hand.

"Which Tom are we talking about?" Sasuke goaded.

"I think you know." So it was that Tom. The Snake knew all along and hadn't warned him. "You really did a number on him, Sasuke. He very much liked his arm. Alas, that is what you get when you run an underground ring"

"What do you know of him?" Sasuke spat, trying not to get overly annoyed.

"You want me to give up information about him without reward," Orochimaru tutted still smiling.

"Your reward is not facing me. Now tell me"

Orochimaru grinned, licking his lips greedily, "Very well. He is an admirer of every Dojutsu, like me. He also runs many underground rings around the world, though I don't know where they all are. He is also particularly invested in killing you"

"So you know where some of his illegal rings are?" he asked earning a happy nod, "Then I suggest you tell a Leaf official about it. Do you know where he is?"

"Maybe I will, and no, I don't know where he is residing as of now," Orochimaru tapped his jawline.

Sasuke contemplated the news and nodded. Then as an after thought he added, "Do you know anything about a group called 'The Shan?'"

"Hmm, can't say I do. My apologies. They must be rather new if I don't know about them."

"Right." Sasuke was bored of the conversation, "Reverse summon me now."

The Sage complied and he saw Orochimaru wave slyly at him. Then smoke billowed up around his person, and he felt a pull at the top of his head. The feeling of being stretched was beyond belief as he was transported back to his original location.

He popped back up in 'Training Ground B' where he looked around. The trees around him shook in the wind along with his hair. He closed his Rinnegan eye incase anyone saw it. With no one around though, he thankfully opened up it again. Sasuke picked up a small brown pebble off the ground and chucked it as far as he could- an obvious sign of boredom.

He and Hinata had been doing barely anything over the past three months. It left them with just under three weeks before they had to be on their way. Still they were no closer to finding out about The Shan or their demands. The Mizukage was beginning to get restless. All he had done over the past months was small little missions helping people out. He'd even had to repair some damaged buildings he had supposedly wrecked in the war. In between these missions though were ones from The Shan. Mainly, they were inconveniences to the people and Mei, so it wasn't hard to get rid of, but it was starting to get annoying.

Things weren't all bad though. Hinata had fully thrown herself into her training and had improved vastly. She could now match him to a draw when he was half concentrating. Of course, she couldn't yet match him when going full out. That much was probably impossible for anyone but Naruto, but if anyone had the determination, it was Hinata. Her ninjutsu training was coming along nicely as well, allowing her to expertly use a few Chidori and become rather good at running fire down her Katana which he was proud of. They were starting to improve her own current jutsu, or even invent new ones at the moment. Sasuke was sure everyone would be gobsmacked at what she could do when they made it back to the Leaf Village.

Maruu was slowly getting over her Mothers death bit by bit. She rarely cried anymore, but when she did, Hinata made sure to comfort her. They went to visit the grave shortly after telling her. Flowers were placed and words were said. The Mizukage also came to speak her condolences to Maruu, which she appreciated greatly.

'Time to check in,' he thought as he looked at the blocked out sun. It had been early morning when he got to the Hawk Mountains so he still had a lot of light left over.

As he watched the Mist tendrils, the trees rustled and a average sized woman stepped out.

"You! Who are you!?" she shouted, pointing a kunai at him. He raised an eyebrow. The woman wore chain mail with a fitted purple top and skirt on top. Her hair was green and orange and she had a Rock forehead protector around her neck. She looked furious with a touch of fear.

"You don't know who I am?" This suprised him as people usually knew who he was by his looks and fame for being a war criminal.

"Should I? It doesn't matter, I was hired by The Shan to dispose of you, so that's what I'll do!" she grinned devilishly.

Finally, a lead! "The Shan? Lucky me. I'm going to have to ask you to come with me."

She scoffed at him, "Absolutely not! You think you can beat me? You're just a nobody getting in the way of progress."

Did she really think she could beat him. Ignorance is bliss. He took up a stance, and she narrowed her auburn eyes at him.

She rushed at him soon after. He didn't bother moving, but withdrew Pitch from its sheathe and stopped her kunai in its tracks. They battled with their weapons, glaring at each other. By her stance he could see she wasn't extensively trained or very confident in herself.

'This is just pointless.' Sasuke batted her away and weaved a Ram Hand Sign. "Shadow clone jutsu," he whispered under his breath, and ten clones of himself appeared around the woman. She took in the sight, now visibly afraid.

"Surrender," he asked simply.

She mulled it over before snarling and shouting, "Never!" He rolled his eyes.

Attacking her with Tijutsu from all sides, the woman soon found herself on the defensive and easily losing. She batted away some of his clones strikes and even managed to pop a few. He, in his original body, watched the spectacle, not bothering to intefere.

The woman's breathing got heavier and her strikes got sloppy. At a last ditch effort, she shouted, "Wind Style: Cutting Disks," sending out boomerangs of dense, speedy air from her mouth. They circled around her, spinning all the time before dissipating, leaving his clones gone.

The woman smiled weakly and fell to her knees exhausted. Sasuke switched on his Sharingan putting the tired ninja under a simple genjutsu and threw her over his shoulder, heading towards the Mizukage tower.

Less than five minutes later, and many confused stares, he made it to his destination and leapt up the stairs three at the time. Inside Mei's office, he threw the woman to the floor.

"Is there a reason for dropping a shinobi in my office?" she asked.

"She mentioned being hired by 'The Shan.' I was hoping to interrogate her and get some information finally," he replied.

Mei's eyes widened and said, "Follow me to the interrogation room. Bring the girl."

He nodded, picking up the woman yet again, and followed the Mizukage down many flights of stairs. They reached a dead end corridor with no interrogation room. Thinking they had gone the wrong way, Sasuke sighed. Then, Mei pushed a painting to the right revealing a small red button behind. She pushed it and the floor opened into some more stairs. They descended them as well.

The facility under the Mizukage tower reminded him of the prison in the Leaf where he was held. Mist Anbu stood to attention on both sides of the corridor, not moving an inch. The walls were all metal with screws jutting out. They soon made it to what Sasuke assumed was the interrogation room.

Glass panels lined the walls, and ninja of different builds rushed around filling out paperwork. The room was pretty big, and in the middle was a metal machine that he hadn't seen before. The ninja stared at him and the woman on his back with spite.

The woman was taken off of him by order of the Mizukage, and placed inside the metal machine. Her hands were bound above her head and everything below her shoulders was hidden inside the machine.

A muscly man walked up to her and placed a hand- that was the size of her face- on the woman's head. Her eyes fluttered open at the contact; clearly they had broken her out of his genjutsu by disrupting her chakra.

The woman starting struggling as soon as she realised what position she was in. Sasuke sat on a three legged stool watching intently.

"How do you know The Shan?" the man holding her demanded harshly. This probably wasn't going to be pretty.

"I was just hired by them to get rid of him. I don't know anything," she spat, nodding towards him.

"You must have seen their headquarters, you must have seen someone. Tell me!"

"Go to hell!" she shouted back.

"What's your name, girl?" Mei intervened. The old good interrogator, bad interrogator routine.

"...Urela" she responded eventually.

"Well Urela, The Shan have repeatedly caused damage to the Mist and I can no longer stand by and watch. What do you know?"

"They... mentioned wanting to earn money and end poverty. They also mentioned he-," she motioned to him again, "-kept getting in their way, so they decided to remove him. They didn't tell me how strong he was."

"Who were they?" the man demanded again. Mei placed a hand on his shoulder causing him to back off.

"Did you see anyone?" Mei asked.

She stayed silent for a moment. "I only saw a few of them. They looked like normal guys to me," she said casually, "No one I recognised myself."

"And where was this?"

"Like I'd tell you lot," she said defending them. Sasuke bounced his leg up and down, not letting his anger overtake him. The muscly man was doing something similar.

"What can we offer you?" Mei questioned.

"Hmm," Urela thought, "A get out of jail free card?"

"Is that all? That's within my power"

"You're just going to let her go, Lady Mizukage?" the man asked, astonished.

"Since she doesn't work for The Shan and was only hired by them once, with the mission failing, it is a reasonable request," Mei answered. Sasuke felt himself agreeing.

"Thanks, I guess," Urela muttered.

"Now where was this base of theirs?"

"There's a secret bunker a few miles North housing most of the group," she gave up.

Mei turned to him next, "Do you know where that is?"

"Should I?" he quipped.

"You'll have to go in blind then. The mission can start tomorrow, and I'll gather men to act as backup. Will you take Hinata along?"

"Probably, I believe she is ready," Sasuke stopped, "What if it's a trap?"

Mei paused too, "I hadn't thought of that. We have no way of knowing. You'll just have to be careful"

"I can get the information from her, but you'll all have to leave the room," he finished, concocting a plan.

"Leave? Why?" the man butted in rudely.

"I can't tell you," he said, "Trust me on this, I won't hurt her in any way"

Mei nodded at his answer, "Fine. On your word, how long will it take?"

"Not long"

They dawdled out of the room and went out of view shortly after, the man being the last to leave, too busy staring him down. What was that guys problem?

Sasuke moved to position himself behind Urela and placed his own real hand on top of her head. Her hair was thick and in a pony tail; she smelt sweaty, probably from their fight.

He reached within himself and channeled chakra towards his Rinnegan, activating the Human Path. He checked once more outside to see if anyone was watching- they weren't. Ignoring the woman's words he dived into her memories, sifting through what he didn't need.

Being careful not to rip out her soul, which would cause the seal in his arm to go off, he delved deeper. Sasuke tried to ignore pointless memories, but some hit him. From what he gathered, Urela was a bounty hunter for anyone with enough money, but she didn't enjoy it and only did it for her sick mother.

He eventually found what he was looking for in her recent memories. He saw what she had told them about The Shan. Normal people, some with chakra some without. There seemed to be quite a lot of ninjas with decent abilities. What they were after was a good cause but they weren't going the right way about it. He followed Urela as she left their base and watched through her eyes as she surveyed the area. Behind her was half a bunker sticking out if the ground with steps leading downwards into the rest of it.

She wasn't lying.

Sasuke swam back up through her memories and surfaced, coming back to his own body. He had never tried the Human Path before, but it seemed easy enough to get the hang of.

He left the room, ignoring her protests, and found the Mizukage further down a corridor.

He informed her quickly on what he found, giving her the details of the members and the location. She looked content they had finally found what they had been looking for, for three months.

"Now that that's over, I need to speak to you in private, Sasuke," Mei told him. He nodded once and followed her to the steps they had come down earlier.

"I have an idea I want to run by you. I'm not sure if it will work, but if it does then it will be a great win for the Mist," Mei said.

He didn't say anything back, so she carried on. Sasuke was surprised by what Mei wanted him to do, but after thinking it over, he too thought it was a great idea. If it worked out then he could leave the Village sure that nothing bad would happen anymore.

"I think it's a good idea. I'll let Hyūga know," he expressed.

"Yes, please be ready for tomorrow," Mei asked, "I'm going to release Urela and tell her too." To which he nodded.

Sasuke made it back to the apartment some time later. It was getting later in the afternoon and he was alone in his thoughts.

He fished out some bread and quickly scoffed it down with a swig of water. He then paced through the rooms and found Hinata's sword resting against a wall.

"Hyūga!" he shouted through the house.

Getting her attention immediately, she popped out from Maruu's room.

"Y-yes, Sasuke-kun?" she squeaked.

He threw her sword- Dawn- at her, "Training session. There's a mission tomorrow, we found out where The Shan are. Follow."

Her face changed to a look of shock and relief as the sword slipped through her grasp. She let out a quick 'oops' before retrieving it.

"What's happening?" she asked.

"I'll tell you on the way. Can you ask Maruu to stay for now, we won't be long?"

She snapped to his orders and they were soon on their way to a free training ground.

When she asked him again what was happening, he replied, "We're going in tomorrow with ninjas like last time. I need you to disarm and stop the members while I talk to the leader. Don't harm anyone." He also added the plan Mei had.

"Got it. I hope it works," she responded.

"Not long until we leave now. Just a few weeks left"

"Yeah," she said, "Thank you for teaching me while you helped out others, I know it's probably hard"

"Hn," he groaned, "Don't worry about it. You're improving a lot, soon you'll be amazing, and it's because of your determination"

"T-thanks"

"You're so polite, Hyūga," he smirked. She giggled back at him.

"Sorry, that's how I was taught. The Hyūga clan expects politeness from me"

"You apologised again. You should loosen up more, like in this spar. You ready?"

She nodded in affirmation and they both took up their respective stances.

Their Katanas rested in front of them poised and ready. He blinked at her and she returned the gesture. Soon enough, they rushed towards each other and Pitch collided with Dawn. He was not surprised to find a strong resistance against his strength. He was surprised, however, when a kick flew up at him aiming for his head. He jumped away, eyes spinning into Sharingan, and sliced at her side. Hinata jumped over the cut, watching him as she turned on her own Dojutsu.

Hinata's fighting style was new to him as she had made it her own as he had once said. She fought with her whole body, gracefully but also strongly. He had never seen such movement. He definitely didn't want to be hit by one of her strikes. She resembled the gentle fist when sword fighting, he guessed that was to be expected. His fighting style was more bashful and he focused on strength due to his confidence that he could beat nearly everyone he faced.

Time seemed to stand still as they danced around each other, their blades weaving through the air like butter. His Sharingan traced her movements, helping him see each strike, while her Byakugan helped her see everywhere. Sasuke could see she was tiring by her brow that was sweating. Hinata swung her sword horizontally at him, as if to stretch her arms, but he anticipated the strike.

Quick as a flash he leapt over the weapon, his eyes level with hers. He reach up and grabbed her thin wrist in a fluid movement causing her to focus all attention on her hand- just what he wanted.

As quick as he was there, he vanished with a flash step and appeared behind her. Before she could even realise he had moved to refocus her Byakugan, Sasuke brought Pitch up to her neck and rested it on her shoulder with a sharp exhale of breath.

"Dead," he said, "You did well, but we need to work on your speed. You need to be faster during battle"

"You're right," she whispered, placing her weapon in a reverse grip and pointing it directly at his stomach. He heard her laugh full heartedly and he soon joined in.

"Let's get some sleep, Hyūga, for tomorrow," he smiled between laughs.

She agreed with a speedy nod and they sheathed their White and Black swords, the light glinting off of them perfectly.

Sasuke grabbed her hand as they surfed through the bustling people outside so that she wouldn't fall behind. They soon made it back home and he let sleep take him a while after.

 **This and the next chapter will be smaller than the others, but two chapters after they will get bigger as we head off to the Sand! Thanks for the nice reviews they are appreciated so much :) Has anyone read the Inheritance Cycle books before, they're my favourite books and I wouldn't mind writing a fic on them too. Other options would be Tokyo Ghoul or Code Geass. Please guests no more reviews about why this pairing isn't right, it's an AU and if it isn't to your liking, don't read.**

 **~UE**


	11. The Shan Pt2

The sky was a dull grey as it sent unwanted rain down on them in constant droves, churning up the mud and splashing water into their faces. It was late at night as it had a better chance of The Shan being asleep or less concentrated. The plan was to survey the perimeter and keep on the lookout for members, before sneaking down into the bunker and giving them a fight. For Hinata, the former was as simple as breathing. She turned on her Byakugan- veins bulging- and searched their surroundings. It only took a few seconds to see there was nobody top side but there was someone guarding the steps into the bunker. She relayed the information to the small group they had.

"There's no one above ground on watch, but there are two guards waiting on the steps."

Their team for the mission consisted of seven Mist Shinobi, all of which hadn't even introduced themselves, Sasuke, and herself. Everyone had been briefed on the plan, and Hinata was confident they could pull it off if all went well.

Sasuke was wearing his usual dark, fitted attire and cloak making him nearly invisible in the creeping darkness. His visible eye was burnt red and stared beadily towards the bunker. The Sharingan made him look menacing and evil, but Hinata knew that he was none of those things- at least around her- now that they had become good friends. If she looked closely, under his bangs, she could see the faint purple glow of his Rinnegan. Hinata knew that the piercing eye was incredibly powerful and was said to be wielded by Gods throughout legend.

"Ok, we need to move them before we go in," a Shinobi stated to the left of her.

She turned her lavender eyes back to the bunker and surveyed it once again. Based on the top half of the bunker, it was old and falling apart. Chunks of brown rubble littered the floor, leaving parts of the walls uneven. Metal poles stuck up out of the ground around the bunker as if to protect it. Grass grew on the very top, like in the Mist, and also the field below it. There were no animals or insects in sight, the only noise being the hard patter of the undying rain.

Her hair clung to her face in clumps, so she had to shake her head every now and again. It was freezing for her in her outfit. She made a mental note to change clothes when they reached the Sand; surely they would have decent ninja attire. Then again, it wasn't cold in the Sand.

Beside her, Sasuke picked out a kunai from a pouch and began running his chakra into it. The grey kunai glowed a brilliant blue colour, and sharpened greatly. Throwing the knife swiftly, it slammed into a tree away from them and went all the way through, seconds later it toppled down and she could hear the echo of the branches snapping. A diversion.

They all layed in waiting for any sign of movement. Hinata watched through the walls as the two guards slowly walked up the steps to check out the noise. When they appeared to the others there was a collective sigh. The members closed in on the collapsed tree, taking it in.

"Must've been the wind or a lightning strike?" she heard one of them say. They both wore red matching red outfits with an embroidered 'S' on the chest.

"Yeah, probably," the other agreed, "Hang on, what's a-"

The guard was cut off from his revelation when Sasuke appeared from thin air in front of them in the blink of an eye. She hadn't even seen him move beside her. With a quick glance, one dropped to the floor asleep. Before the other could do anything about his fellow members predicament, Sasuke was behind him holding his mouth shut so he couldn't shout out to everyone else. Next, Sasuke dragged him back to their hiding spot.

With another small ocular genjutsu, the man fell into a zombie like state. His eyes stayed open.

"Is this the hideout for 'The Shan'?" Sasuke asked. Ah, so that's what the genjutsu did differently.

"Yes." The mans voice was dull and flat as if he was insanely bored at something.

"How many members are there?"

"There are eighty members, but most are out on missions,"

"Who is the leader?"

"He calls himself Shan. I do not know his real name."

"His abilities?" Sasuke checked.

After a tense silence it was clear the man wouldn't respond.

"He doesn't know, shame," Sasuke finished, as he put the man into a dream world like his friend. This time the man closed his eyes and relaxed into the muddy ground.

"At least we got some information," Hinata told him.

"Hn"

"Can you check the bunker, Lady Hyūga," asked a woman behind her.

"I already checked, there looked to be thirty chakra signatures that I could make out. Some are above average, some are below. There was one small space where I couldn't see," she replied. She disliked when someone blocked her eyesight.

"Thirties fine," Sasuke said, "Is everyone ready?"

A collection of nods was all they needed to see before they made there way towards the steps. Along the way, a ninja pulled the member lying near the tree to a random hiding place just in case.

The steps were easier to see due to lamps hanging in the bunker below them. Up close, she could see graffiti and more cracks running along the walls. They came to a stop by a heavy steel door that was designed to keep people and over things out.

Hinata looked at the mechanism and noticed something, "Can you check the guards to see if they have a key of any sorts, please?" she said to anyone. At the question, a woman with white hair and black glasses padded back up the steps and came back down a minute after with a weird looking object.

The supposed key was square with three different sized poles sticking out of it like it was reaching door something. She took it off of the woman and inserted it correctly into the bunker door's lock system. They heard mechanical noises coming from the other side before it stopped with a 'clunk!'

With the door open, she watched as Sasuke pushed the heavy door forward and made it swing out of their way granting them access to the bunker. It was bright enough to see inside so they didn't have to make any man made light. Low voices could be heard, but none sounded alert. Thank the sage no one heard the door open; it was loud enough.

"Which way?" Sasuke said, looking from left to right.

She searched through the halls to find the correct way down. Smaller rooms came off of the halls for sleeping and extra storage. She easily found the right way. "Follow me."

The air was so thin and dusty in the bunker that Hinata almost sneezed endangering the mission. They kept their footsteps as light as possible so the echos weren't travelling down to the members of the group. If she was just with the seven Mist ninja she would have been skeptical about winning, even after training for the past three months, but with Sasuke with her she knew they could do it.

She ran her palm along the walls as they closed in on the destination. She pulled away quickly however, when it came back with a brushed layer of white chalk.

They came to a stop by a balcony overlooking the main chamber of the bunker. A set of stairs was the only thing separating their two groups. Hinata peaked out over the balcony to see a large collection of people moving around. Before, she could only see their chakra signatures and nothing else, but being in range she could see much more. A condensed few were drawing up plans to something, while others sorted through paperwork, money, and food.

Hinata turned her back to The Shan and slid down the wall to sit down and address the others.

"W-what now?" she whispered, quietly enough so that only the eight of them could hear her.

No one responded for a few moments, and Sasuke knelt down next to her. The others soon followed suit.

"We need to identify the leader so we can talk to him," a male Mist shinobi whispered back. He had long, curly brown hair with green hawk-like eyes.

"How do we do that?" the younger woman asked. She was sweating profusely and Hinata couldn't blame her.

"By asking," Sasuke said next to her. It wasn't a suggestion, but a definitive answer.

"Y-you're just going to confront them yourself?" That was crazy even if he could bring them all down by himself.

"Yes. I tell him or her about the Mizukage's offer and see what they say."

"What if it goes wrong?" a man asked again.

"That's when you come in. We have the element of suprise, use that. Go for the other members while I go for the leader."

Hinata looked towards the roof of the bunker thinking. She didn't like the plan Sasuke had come up with all by himself, but he would go through with it anyway. As stupid as it sounded she just didn't want him to get hurt.

"OK, we have your back," someone responded.

"Mhmm," Sasuke mumbled back.

Hinata watched as Sasuke rose to his full height- he was taller than her- and clicked his tongue. His Sharingan spun off probably to avoid mass panic. He then walked off down the steps and turned into the court. The voices carried on, not knowing Sasuke was watching them. She refocused her Byakugan on the image behind her. Sasuke's chakra pathways were far more powerful and bigger than everyone else's. For that, she was happy.

"Uchiha Sasuke," a voice echoed out. The voice sounded depressed and belonged to a single man. At the sound, one chakra signature spiked amidst the others.

Sasuke didn't reply to his name being spoken out of the blue. The other members had undoubtedly stopped what they were doing to turn and look at him.

"I hadn't known it was you till a yesterday when you stopped the hunter I hired," he continued on, "The ones hiding on the balcony can come out now."

Hinata gasped at the man's impossible prediction. They didn't move from their spot until Sasuke told them it was OK. Reluctantly, she made her way down the steps into the main chamber of the bunker. The others followed behind, alert and armed. The members of The Shan were watching Sasuke and them with growing discontent.

What caught her eye was the man standing in the middle of the room with his hands behind his back. His jet black hair was tied up in a bun and had a gold needle sticking through it. He donned fire red clothing and had a missing tooth that was around his neck displayed proudly.

"Come to kill me and stamp out The Shan, I'm assuming?" he frowned.

"No," was the short reply.

"No? Hmm, then why come all the way here?"

"The Mizukage wants to offer you and your group a chance," Sasuke spoke, "The Shan was created to end poverty was it not?"

"It was. After the Blood Mist fiasco and then the endless wars, the Mist was left with many homeless, and poor people," the man revealed. She was responsible for at least one of those reasons. "What is this offer you spoke off?"

Sasuke stayed silent for a brief moment before raising him voice again. "The Mizukage would like for The Shan to become a faction operating under her orders so that you can help to stop poverty and other such things legally. Your members will be given places to stay and a good pay while you make Kirigakure and the world a better place."

There it was. The chance The Mizukage had told Sasuke about. It was a fair and noble chance that she would personally take, and Hinata believed it could work.

The members around them stared wide eyed at Sasuke before smiling as if all their problems had been solved. Soon some even began chuckling and patting each other on the backs. Avoiding a fight seemed more of a rising possibility by the second.

The leader shushed the members laughing away and turned to confront Sasuke again.

"This is indeed a remarkable offer," he smiled, "It would allow The Shan to make a change for the better without breaking any laws anymore."

"Then your answer is yes?" Sasuke questioned.

"It is. Though I do have a condition."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow prompting the man to carry on.

"I would like Mei to fight me so that I can see if she is worthy of The Shan's help and respect."

Hinata froze. Sasuke started chuckling lightly.

"And if she refuses your duel?"

"Then I won't help her as she wouldn't be serious of our cause," the man said causing the members to scoff in denial, "Even if that decision is unfavourable to everyone else."

"I can't promise she will agree, but if you come back with us I can try to persuade her," Sasuke agreed. Hinata gasped again.

"Let us be off then. What shall I do about everyone here?"

The Mist woman to Hinata's right spoke up next before Sasuke could.

"It would be best to have them stay here until The Mizukage sends for them. Too many people would likely cause distress to the people."

The man considered her for a moment then hesitantly agreed to her statement. With a quick command to his loyal subjects, they left for the surface once again.

"The name's Subaki Shan by the way," the man- Subaki- stated to them as they climbed up the final set of steps and into the night. So that was where the organisation got their name.

None of the others seemed very interested in what Subaki told them- especially Sasuke- but she was intrigued.

Subaki told her the story of how he was in The Third Great Ninja War, was raised in the Blood Mist time period, made to kill his own friends, and also served in The Fourth Great Ninja War like her. He saw what damage it did to the Mist Village and other such Hidden Villages and wanted to make a change so he started The Shan as they knew today.

It was still raining by the time they reached the Mist again. It placed everyone in a sour mood but Subaki, who looked eager to fight The Mizukage. The guards and patrolling ninjas had all been briefed on the offer for The Shan, so none stopped or slowed them down knowing it to be a matter of importance.

The Mizukage tower soon came into view along with The Mizukage herself standing outside watching them with a small smile. Her usually wild brown hair was soaked and as a result, looked even longer. It was almost down to her thighs. Hinata had been thinking about growing her hair out once again now that she had a better grip on her fighting situations.

Subaki clapped his hands together once in anticipation, before returning them behind his back.

"I take it everything went well," The Mizukage said when they met with her. Two Anbu were planted on either side of her, one with a Crocodile mask and the other a familiar Dragon mask.

"Almost," Sasuke slid out of the way giving free reign to Subaki. "He would like to challenge you for his respect before The Shan works for you. With it though, he agrees to help end poverty among other things. The members also seemed satisfied with your offer."

The Mizukage looked startled, to say the least, at Sasuke's words. Dragon and Crocodile took a step closer to the Mizukage.

"Challenge me?"

"Indeed, Lady Mizukage," Subaki stepped forward.

"Is this challenge a fight?"

"It is if you agree."

"And if I win then the Mist shall have The Shan's support?"

Subaki nodded.

"Then it's settled, I agree to your terms," Mei responded, startling everyone. The two Anbu visibly tensed up at the thought of their Village leader fighting. They attempted to dissuade her to no avail.

"Excellent," Subaki clapped.

"We shall go to a field nearby. It will give us more ground to move on. This way." Subaki obliged and followed her as she walked off. She and Sasuke followed further behind.

They came to a stop twenty minutes later at a large, green grassy field. The middle of the land was scorched and as a result, left no life standing. The field was surrounded by trees and bushes all shaking in the rain. Hinata watched from a good distance away with Sasuke and the Anbu. Mei had made sure that Sasuke started the duel off and step in if anything got out of hand.

On the way there, her hand had somehow become intertwined with Sasuke's but she didn't mind one bit.

"There will be no killing blows," Mei spoke, "The fight ends when one of us surrenders or can no longer carry on, deal?"

"Of course. I have no desire to die today when there are people to help."

Subaki's black hair that was once tied up in a neat bun was now dripping down his neck. The rain was still in full force so much so that you wouldn't be able to tell if someone was crying.

"Are you ready?" Sasuke asked beside her. The two opponents made brief eye contact and nodded. "BEGIN!"

And they were off. The Anbu restrained themselves from intervening as Mei leapt cat like at Subaki. She had withdrawn a kunai to defend against Subaki's hooked blade waving around in figure eights multiple times before they collided. Hinata's grip tightened as her lips parted ever so slightly at the sight. The two were sure to keep eye contact as if to threaten each other. She was sure she could see uncertainty in The Shan's leader's eyes.

Subaki, not gaining any ground, ran his weapon down the kunai and span backwards, holding the blade out for defence. Mei charged at him with the kunai upheld going for a foreswing and followed it with a backswing. Subaki dodged the first and met the second with his hooked blade. Despite being pounded by rainwater, neither blinked once.

The weight of Mei's blow sent him sprawling back, back, back... but not far enough to knock the blade free of his hands. It was a battle of attrition.

Striking. The arcing shot from Subaki tore through the deep blue fabric at the midmidsection. It just missed the flesh behind it by an inch. Mei didn't give it a second thought as she brang up her shin to batter her opponent.

Subaki staggered from the hit. Mei swung. Her kunai missed, not close enough to eat through fabric. He smirked at his luck of the dodge. Hinata had to admit it was impressive, though not as much as the Uchiha prodigy next to her. The sight of his smirk only made Mei more determined.

Swing. Swing. Swing. The first two missed badly, but the third, a vertical chop off the one before it, found skin. The chakra laced kunai left a small trail of thick, red blood on Subaki's cheek. The fighter wiped it away with the back of his hand, wincing. This time it was Mei's turn to grin.

Far apart now, The Mizukage threw her chosen weapon at the man with precision accuracy. Subaki's eyes threatened to widen before he deflected it with the flat of his hooked blade. With a sharp 'Clang!' the kunai dropped to the floor.

"Impressive," Subaki allowed to slip out, "Shall we step it up a notch?" Mei only smiled at him like she did at Sasuke when they first saw her. The man lodged the blade into the muddy ground and weaved a sign. Mei followed suit.

Finishing first, The Mizukage shouted, "Lava Style: Carpet Fountain!" She faced the dreary, grey sky and shot forth a geyser of smoking hot magma from her mouth. It reached an acceptable height before spreading out and falling down across the field, leaving them out of its reach.

Subaki instantly forgot his previous plan and moved to make another set of signs. His palms clutched one another as he shouted in return, "Earth Style: Womping Wall!" Four equally sized walls rose up around him and finally a earth roof boxed him in. The Kage level Lava Style jutsu crashed down on the cube and smoke rose up.

Moments later, the box's top piece blasted upwards freeing Subaki of the dreaded Lava. Three of the walls fell back into the ground with the remaining one still in front of him. He launched a fist at part of the wall and bricks shot off towards The Mizukage.

Mei, who was busy wiping her lips which were covered in lava- somehow it didn't burn her, looked to face the projectiles before letting a new element that Hinata hadn't seen before, pass through her mouth. What looked like steam, floated through the air and the bricks suddenly started to melt mid flight!

"Earth Style, huh?" Mei smiled, allowing the steam to leave for the sky, "Water Style: Cascading Current!"

From behind her, a giant pillar of water formed itself from the endless torrential rain. At another hand sign from Mei, the pillar surged forward at a serious looking Subaki. The wave covered her opponent, knocking down the rest of his earth wall with ease, making the lava inert. The rushing sound of waves filled Hinata's ears as she observed. Next to her, the Anbu seemed to relax. She looked to Sasuke who was watching the fight with calm disinterest.

Due to the loud crashing sounds, Hinata couldn't hear what The Mizukage said next. The waves, that were originally hitting Subaki from every direction, formed a sphere of water around him, trapping him inside of it. Mei had her arm thrust into it up to her upper arm. She kept a straight face with a concerned eyebrow raised at her prisoner.

A hesitant nod from him was all it took for Mei to release the Water jutsu.

"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu," a voice said beside her. She turned to see Sasuke looking distant as if bad memories had infected him. Water Prison jutsu? Was that the techniques name?

Voilent coughing from Subaki tore her from her thoughts and she refocused her attention. Subaki was lying on his back drenched in even more water than before. The rain still wasn't letting up.

The Mizukage's hand appeared above the man and Subaki willingly took it to pull himself up.

"Have I won your respect, Mr...?"

"Shan. Subaki Shan," he coughed, "And yes Lady Mizukage, you have. I'd be happy to help your cause and so would The Shan."

"Thank you. I shall send a messenger to your members," Mei tapped her foot.

Hinata, Sasuke, and the Anbu joined them next. She acknowledged them with a quick nod.

"Please, let met," Subaki insisted, "I'd like to tell them if you'd let me. It will be easier coming from me."

Mei considered his point. "Very well. Please meet me by the tower with the others to get settled it."

"You fought well, Mr Shan. Maybe we could spar more often?"

"It would be my pleasure. I shall leave now," Subaki finished and strolled off, his hands clasped behind his back yet again.

They watched as he left the field whistling to himself.

"Sasuke, Hinata," she addressed them, "You have my thanks. With your departure soon, I'd like to let you know I'm grateful for your help."

"O-oh, thank you Lady Mizukage," she bowed overwhelmed. Sasuke simply nodded once.

Mei smiled at them. "Get some rest, you deserve it."

So they did. They got back to the apartment ten minutes later. Hinata gave Sasuke a quick 'goodnight' before changing into sleeping clothes and drifting off to sleep.

 **Morning.**

"Come on, Sasuke-kun!"

Hinata led her tired friend down the early morning streets against his will.

"Where are we going, Hyūga?"

"You'll see."

The few people walking around glanced at them as they passed by hand in hand. It brought a short flush to her cheeks, but she ignored it.

It was dawn in the Mist and the rain had finally finished its onslaught against them leaving almost clear skies if it weren't for the ever present mist. Maruu was still resting at their home so Hinata thought it was the best time to go out.

She ran past many shops, stalls, and houses before finding the one she had been looking for.

The restaurant was open and many people sat inside preferring the warm interior to the wet chairs outside. She set her lavender orbs on the sign above. 'Mist Fish' it read in blue and red letters. Stickers of the stereotypical type fish were plastered on the glass panes.

"Ah," he said behind her.

Hinata had made sure it was a Saturday before coming, and just hoped that the couple was still in the Mist for the time being.

Her prayers were answered when she saw the familiar Yoto and Irimi sitting enjoying their morning meal.

"Look! They're still here!"

"Hn. Why are we here?"

"I wanted to catch up with them. They were really nice to us, Sasuke-kun."

"I suppose," he sighed. She rolled her eyes playfully at his disinterest.

"Let's go."

She slipped her hand, regretfully, out of Sasuke's embrace and ran on ahead. The door ringed her arrival as she stepped inside. Nobody bothered looking towards the sound apart from the young woman on the counter. She asked her what she'd like but she replied saying she was just here visiting someone.

Sasuke joined up behind her afterwards. The waitress looked him up and down with delight and smiled brightly. Hinata knew that most girls found Sasuke aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but she hadn't ever really thought about it as much as her classmates in the Leaf. Now though...

She moved Sasuke along to the table that sat the Married Sailors.

Irimi was the first to notice them, facing their way. A smile crept onto her face and she waved frantically, capturing Yoto's attention. He got up out of his chair, rising steadily to greet them.

"Hinata, Sasuke! Good to see you. Still around I see," Yoto clapped Sasuke on his shoulder making him grunt. Hinata smiled happily back at them both.

"Good too see you too," she replied, "We still have another two weeks before we leave Kirigakure, so we thought we'd come visit, right Sasuke-kun?"

"Mhmm," he mumbled, taking a spare seat.

"Please sit," Yoto ushered her into a seat too, and soon they all found themselves sat around the table eating delicious fish they had bought for them.

"So you mentioned leaving soon, Hinata?" Irimi addressed her.

"Yes, two weeks then to the Sand Village."

"Did you need a boat ride by any chance?" Yoto lauged.

"Oh no that's fine, you don't have too," she said waving her hands frantically. Sasuke perked up at her denial.

"Rubbish," Yoto cheered, "We were getting bored of this place anyway"

"That's so kind of you! We can pay this time, we have more ryo"

"Ah! Who doesn't love a little pay, right?" Yoto winked at her, "A discount for you though"

"I-I don't know what to say," she stuttered. Yoto really was a nice man.

"Aha! You're welcome," he turned to Sasuke, "So how did your trip fair?"

"Fine," he replied pushing the fish around his plate.

"Is he still moody?" Yoto asked.

"Most of the time," she said, grinning when Sasuke looked at her. He dismissed her with a sharp exhale of breath, blowing his bangs outwards.

They sat and talked like that for another hour or two, sharing stories and revealing secrets. Irimi told them that they lived on a small island alone when they weren't running the boat, and how is was always tranquil, which Hinata liked. Yoto divulged the best places and ways to catch fish even after Irimi's scolding. Sasuke predictably didn't say much. She told them of her life and clan back in the Leaf. She also told them why her eyes were pupiless after Irimi's fair question.

Eventually though, they excused themselves- or Sasuke did for the both of them- and left them behind. Outside was a lot brighter since when they entered and she could only guess how long they chatted for.

Hinata's mind went to Maruu who was still at their apartment and she quickly hurried them home. Maruu had only just recently agreed to leave with them if they promised to train her soon and that Sasuke carry her whenever she asked. They had laughed and agreed to her terms, though Sasuke took some time debating carrying her.

"Shall we see what Maruu wants to do today since it's free?" she checked walking through the front door.

"Yeah, that's fine," he cracked his neck loudly.

Hinata smiled. She felt truly happy.


	12. Maruu Filler

"Come on sweetheart, we've got to get a move on!"

"OK, Mother!" Maruu shouted back to her Mum. She placed her pocket money and spare clothes into her blue backpack and strapped it on. She finished making her room tidy for the trip and said a quick goodbye, before leaving the bedroom for the winding staircase.

Her and her Mothers home was a two storey building with lots and lots of windows so that she could see the mist she loved to watch regularly. The upstairs had two bedrooms, and the downstairs had the living room, kitchen, and bathroom.

Jumping off the final step, Maruu landed happily and sprinted to the shoe rack. As she was putting on her favourite blue boots, her Mother came down the corridor carrying her own bag of food and supplies. Her black and white hair was tied in a bun and she wore a simple red kimono with a black waist belt, while Maruu wore her best looking shorts and jumper.

"Ready Maruu?" her eyes gleamed blue.

"Yep," she nodded, "Where are we going this time, Mum?"

Maruu had gotten used to travelling with her mother all around the Land of Waters island nation. Often they went every few months to sell goods that everyone wanted to buy: Food, Goods, Trinkets, and much more. It was fun, but got tiring for her.

"Not too far this time, I promise. It's only three days."

"Alright," she sighed.

Her mother noticed her tone and said, "I'll buy you some Ice Cream, Maruu."

Maruu's head shot up and she smiled brightly, "Wooo, let's go!"

With that information and her mum laughing softly behind her, she left the house and followed the usual procedure. Around the corner was the cart they always rode on. Maruu ran towards it and pet the horse attached to the front. Her mother had told her that Bobby- the horse- was a magic horse that could speak. So far though, she hadn't got him to speak to her at all. They had called him Bobby because of how he bobbed his long head while walking. He was a large brown horse with a thick mane that she loved brushing in her spare time.

The cart had two seats at the front to hold the reigns and behind it was where they put all the things her mother was selling. The round, wooden wheels were large and had a thick layer of mud applied to the edges.

Her mother was beside her moments later, helping her up into the high seats. When she got up she took hold of the reigns while her mum put the bags in the back, joining her after. She took the reigns off her and lightly shook them.

"You can hold them later if you'd like." Maruu nodded frantically; she hadn't done that before.

After they stopped off for her Ice Cream- which was Strawberry flavoured, her favourite- from 'Kiri Kream', they continued on their way to the Village Gates. It was one of the worst days for weather Maruu had ever seen. Clouds dotted the sky and the mist was incredibly thick, just as if you could lick it like the delicious Ice Cream she was holding.

Her mother struck up a short conversation with the guards on duty before they were easily let through. This was always the bit she hated the most. Leaving the Gates of her Village for someplace else, but she had gotten used to it over time.

Once they were outside, a few minutes away from the Mist, her Mother started playing some fun games. This was something Maruu enjoyed massively. They started off with a word puzzle game where someone would think of a subject and the other person would have to follow that subject using the last letter of the previous word.

"OK, the subject is Fruit," her Mother said.

"Bannana"

"Avocado"

"Orange"

"E? Hmmm, I can't say I know of one?"

"Yay! I win! My choice is Animals," she smiled. And so it went on and on for quite a while before they finally became to bored to play it.

Further on down the path they stopped chatting and Maruu watched restlessly as the mist thinned out into nothingness, and the sun came closer to the ground. The only sounds she could hear was the cart rolling across the loose stones and the occasional whinney of Bobby the Horse.

A distant chatter pulled Maruu out of her daydream and she looked in front of her to see a group of thirteen men and women hiking on the path, coming towards them. Some were tall and strong looking and others were fat. They all looked to be carrying weapons strapped to their back or hip.

She could spot her Mother strangle the reigns tightly, and shift in her seat as if uncomfortable. Maruu watched her Mother with a confused expression, and the cart sped up ever so slightly.

The distinct voices of the people in front of them had died down to nothing aswell as they came closer to them. Maruu didn't really know what was happening but she could tell it was very tense for her Mother.

It all happened so fast. The men and women coming towards them, surrounded their cart and drew their weapons pointing them at Bobby. Seconds later, Maruu's lifelong friend was on his side gasping for breath. Her breathing tripled as she took in the sight and her Mother screamed as she was ripped away from the cart.

"Mum!" she shouted, jumping after her.

Before she could get close enough to try and save her Mum, a burly man with a spiky weapon Maruu had never seen grabbed her by the arm forcefully leaving red marks on her pale skin.

Maruu broke into her own scream and she could hear loud laughing behind her. She tried to look back but only caught sight of some black hair being pulled into the woods to the left of the cart. She couldn't tell if it was her Mum... Her Mum. Little did she know it would be the last time she would ever see her Mum.

She started tearing up as she was pulled along by the man she had never met, and into the woods the opposite side of her Mother in the direction of her Village.

 **Bandit Cave.**

Maruu sat on a boulder inside the dim cave she had been brought to a few days ago even though it felt like months, especially being apart from her Mum.

At the thought, she started crying forced tears. Her eyes often hurt from how she constantly cried herself to sleep. Rubbing them with her hands, she sniffed loudly. Beside her a woman she had come to know as 'Sword' because of her black sword and because she hadn't given Maruu her name, sat down next to her, eating some baked beans from the raging fire in the center of the cave.

A skinnier man (Burp she called him) soon joined their little group with his own food. He gave her a small bowl with barely anything inside of it to eat. She took it reluctantly because her belly had been rumbling all day. Maruu fiddled with the grimey cloth of her clothes. They were the same ones she had worn when she left home. The smelled and had ugly stains all over them.

"What you crying for girl?" 'Burp' spat out. His food dripped down past his chin as he did so. Maruu became engrossed in her bowl, knowing what was about to come. "Your pathetic Mummy again, huh?"

He laughed, belching rudely. She played with the dirty spoon, scratching the bottom of the bowl harshly. His name was fitting.

"She's dead, girl. Gone forever. It's true, accept it. Your one of us now."

The dreaded sentence each and every one of the bandits had told her since being here. Maruu clenched her fist on the spoon, fighting back more tears. She denied it of course, but she wasn't stupid.

She eyed the weapons that were all over the floor and wished she was stronger and much older.

Suddenly, the local animals- the Bats- started screeching and flying off of their upside down perch. Maruu dropped her food at the sound and stood up.

Jumping down from one of the overhangs was a boy with black hair and a black cloak wielding a long dark sword. The only eye of his she could see was mysteriously red. Next to him a girl wearing a pink, long sleeved top and shorts unsheathed her own long, white sword. At the sharp sound, everyone around her jumped to attention and rushed the two attackers, weapons blazing, who had broken off into separate groups.

Maruu watched, her back against the wall, as the boy took down each and every bandit with complete ease. It even looked as if he enjoyed it. Her capturers dropped like flies and 'Sword' came to stand next to her. Her face was twisted into one of anger and horror.

Within minutes the boy had reached them after hitting a man with a kunai in his arm. 'Sword' shouted at him as she threw herself forward. Then, all of a sudden, the boy disappeared without a trace. Maruu's little hope she had died before the boy reappeared behind 'Sword', tripping her over and making drop to the floor along with her partners.

She watched as she fell to the ground with a thud before finding his frightening gaze. His eyes were red but had an irregular black, circular design inside of it. His facial expression seemed to be saying 'Sorry' to her. By those eyes and his skills, she knew that this boy was undoubtedly a Shinobi. Something what her Mother had told her to avoid.

His eyes bore into hers and she was pulled deeper into them. Memories of her Mum and the demonic crimson eye suddenly tipped her over the edge. She fell onto her side crying as much as she could, clutching her face. Maruu felt a wet patch form in her shorts but she couldn't of cared less at that moment. The boy walked off, leaving her alone, to watch the girl he had come in with. Were they here to save her? Kill her? She didn't know. She didn't want to think about it.

Her questions were soon answered shortly after the noise had died down. She could only assume the Bandits were all gone. Maruu could hear two voices off to her right talking amongst themselves until she heard fast paced footsteps coming towards her. She closed her eyes trying to stop the crying, to no avail.

Someone was shaking her so she cautiously opened her wet, blue eyes. It was the girl. She was older than her by far but looked incredibly nice and pretty. The girl introduced herself as Hinata and asked her some questions about what happened. Maruu answered what she could. Her Mother and Father came up in the questioning, but she didn't reveal anything for reasons unknown to even her. She hadn't known much about her Dad other than he was kind and loving.

After the stream of questions ended they agreed to take her back to the Village. Maruu felt a rush of joy come over her. She got onto Hinata's back and rested her head down, falling asleep a few minutes later on.

 **Sorry for the short chapter about Maruu's past but I'm on a week holiday away from Wifi, so I didn't want to start my next main chapter yet. Speaking of which, to make up for the short chapter, it will be around 10k words and about leaving the Mist for the Sand. I hope you enjoy. Please Follow and Review. Suggestions always welcome.**


	13. Sunagakure

Sasuke scratched the side of his head in boredom as he finished sealing the extra large tent he had bought just yesterday, into a sealing scroll. It was enough to fit all three of them in, with dividers separating the rooms. Apparently it was newest line of tents that were made for all weather types. It was a little expensive but after some consideration, and a talk with Hinata, he decided to finally purchase it.

With everything in the green sealing scroll, Sasuke looked around the empty apartment he had lived in for the past four months, before leaving for the door.

Outside, Hinata and Maruu waited patiently for him. Hinata wore her usual mission gear but with a jumper, and Maruu wore a similar jumper and shorts. A custom kunai was strapped to her thigh.

"All done?" Hinata shivered. It was a abnormally cold day, even for him. He wore his cloak tightly around his shoulders as he replied with a simple nod. A brief smile crossed her features as she rubbed her upper arms free of the cold bite.

"The ship," he said, and they were off for their destination. Their time was up in Kirigakure and they were off for The Sand. A warm- very warm- desert village. Kakashi had sent another eagle a few days earlier giving conformation of their departure along with the usual 'good luck' and 'be careful'. With it locked in, they had asked Maruu if she was one hundred percent sure about tagging along, to which she responded adamantly to coming with them, so that was that.

They passed a few familiar establishments on the way but they soon found the entrance gates to The Mist. Underneath the monoliths stood the Mizukage and the man who was in command of The Shan Division: Subaki. The Division worked for the people and Mei as a kind of police force helping wherever help was needed. Civilians and Shinobi alike had taken well to the new addition, and the Village seemed to have taken a turn for the better. Sasuke had even heard rumors relating to the Mizukage and Subaki, from the Anbu.

Mei's hand waved politely as she spotted them amongst the crowd. He reached her moments later and was met with smiles from both of them.

"Here you are," she said, "You didn't think I'd just let you go without a thank you, did you?"

"Oh there's no need Lady Mizukage," Hinata bowed back.

"Of course there is! You helped my village and the people greatly. For that you have my thanks. If you happen to come my way again you are welcome to stay whenever."

"You have my thanks too," Subaki spoke up. His hands were clasped behind his back as usual, puffing out his chest. He sounded sincere. "Without you this alliance couldn't of happened."

He bowed far down before rising again.

Sasuke didn't really know what else to say so he just inclined his head, acknowledging them.

Mei's focus shifted to Maruu next. A sad look crossed her face but she hid it in the next second.

"I wish you good luck, Maruu Sintary. I know you may not want to hear it but I am sorry," Mei mumbled. He looked at Maruu to find her staring at the ground below her and fumbling with her hands. Mei reached out her hand and unfurled her palm at Maruu. Residing in it was a brass bracelet with the letter 'S' engraved into it. The metal was coiled around and had small parts of it eroding to a silver. It looked old. At the sudden appearance of the band, Maruu's eyes widened as if she had seen something incredible. All sadness was washed away for a few impossible moments before the same sadness came seeping back.

"Mothers bracelet," Maruu whispered, quietly. "Where did you find it?"

"It was found in the woods a few miles from here," Mei answered. She held it closer. "Here, it's yours now"

Maruu slowly took the band off of the Mizukage and slipped it onto her left wrist. She held it for a long while, just breathing softly. "Thank you." She cracked a weak smile.

"You're welcome," Mei responded back. She turned to him and Hinata next, "Good luck too. We'll be on our way. Thank you"

He watched Hinata bow once again as Mei walked off back to the Kage Tower- Subaki in tow. Hinata looked disturbed. Maruu was still massaging the suprise bracelet, spinning it around her small wrist; it barely fit her but it was all she had left of her Mother. He knew that was invaluable.

An awkward walk and an hour later, Sasuke reached the cliff side overlooking the docks. Walkways spanned the surrounding area, with many ships bobbing in the rough, blue ocean. They made their way down the staircase and eventually tracked down the ship they were looking for.

'THE FLYING DUTCHMAN' was printed on the back of the wooden ship, and the lone mast shot upwards. Sasuke looked at the top deck finding no one manning it. He sighed and boarded the rocking ship. Wood planks creaked under his feet as he crossed onto the vehicle. He looked behind him to see Hinata and Maruu boarding as well. Fishing into his pocket, he pulled out some ryo to hold onto.

"They've probably just gone to get something. Rest a bit," he said.

Sasuke reached the bow of the boat and looked out into the choppy sea. It would take them the rest of today and tomorrow morning to reach the mainland. He had estimated it would take around four days, going at a fast pace, to reach The Sand. If he would of been alone he could've done it in mere hours. It irked him slightly.

As he stood there, his mind floated back to the time he ran off ahead of Hinata. He definitely didn't handle that situation well that was for sure. He wondered what more teasing was to come throughout the boat ride back. It didn't matter. At anything Yoto or Irimi would say, he wouldn't lose his cool again. He was an Uchiha!

A heavy wave pummeled the side of the ship facing the vast sea. Salty water droplets flung themselves up and over the top and landed on his face and hair. Annoyed, he wiped his face and backed off from the front.

A loud, booming voice pierced his ears causing him to turn towards the docks.

"Sasuke! You're here," Yoto exclaimed. He was wearing a grey top and a purple scarf loosely wrapped around his neck. He was carrying a large box in his arms as he made his way down. Irimi followed just behind him wearing a black dress and a red scarf wrapped tighter.

Sasuke motioned to the box he was clearly struggling with but Yoto dismissed him.

They both boarded their boat after a long while trying to carry the box.

"Supplies for us for the next month or so."

"Good morning, Sasuke. Where's Hinata?" Irimi asked. He was about to point but found her and Maruu missing.

"Below," he guessed. Revealing an arm, Sasuke handed over the sum of ryo. It was quite a bit but not as large as renting another ship here so it was fine.

Irimi collected the money with a frown. "This is too much, Sasuke."

"We have another with us. A young girl"

"A girl? Why?"

With hesitation, he recounted the story to them both hoping they would understand. They listened intently, opting not to cut in anywhere.

"Oh no," Irimi whispered, "I feel so sorry for her. Poor girl."

"Indeed," Yoto agreed. His usual happy face was sullen, "You did a good thing helping her."

"Is it alright that she comes?"

They both looked at him like he was completely stupid.

"Of course!" Irimi said, before leaving to meet Hinata and Maruu below deck.

When it was just him and Yoto, they got to work on the moorings. The ropes were pulled tight but after a little wiggle they came loose, and they drifted slowly forward. The next job was to hoist the sail. Sasuke made his way to the middle and took one rope while Yoto to the other opposite.

"One the count of three. One. Two. Three!" Yoto shouted, heaving with all his might. Sasuke, meanwhile, pulled the rope with a more normal force, keeping himself rooted to the floor with chakra. When the white sail was open wide and catching the heavy breeze, the ship lurched forward. Yoto was sweating profusely from the exertion, so he sat down.

"Where will you go after making it back to the mainland?" Sasuke asked Yoto curiously.

He raised his head, breathing heavily, "Who can say? Stay with the boat, leave the boat. I'll have to see what Irimi wants to do."

"So, how are you and Hinata getting along?" Yoto asked. It wasn't a teasing question as Yoto wasn't in the mood.

"Fine"

"Just fine? I could've sworn I saw you two in the streets holding hands a few weeks back. Did something happen?"

Sasuke turned his back to him and looked towards the docks. They were a ways away now. The ferocious current and breeze pushing them along easily.

"No. I'm not sure why we do it."

"Well I'm not going to tell you the answer. You can figure it out yourself."

Before he could ask what he meant, Irimi bustled through the door to the top deck, Hinata and Maruu just behind. They all looked much happier than earlier. He wondered what Irimi had done to them.

"Dear, this is Maruu," Irimi addressed her husband. Maruu smiled. "She's a lovely girl, and we'd be happy to have her, right?"

"Yes, Indeed! Nice to meet you, Maruu. I'm truely sorry for your loss."

Maruu's smile wavered slightly but she nodded, "Thank you for having me."

"And you too, Hinata. Welcome aboard!"

"Thank you, Yoto."

A few hours later, Yoto spoke up again, "Now, Honey, shall we get dinner ready? It might take some time making what we prepared."

"Ok," she replied, and they padded downstairs to the kitchen. While Hinata looked for the table and set it up, Sasuke sat on the edge of the boat thinking until Maruu came up beside him appearing to be deep in thought too.

"How are you?" he asked, pulling her out to reality. She sat down next to him. He hadn't had much time to chat with her alone before so this was the opportune moment.

"I'm okay. Just wondering what the Sand Village will be like. I haven't left the island before," she said. He was used to her being all jolly and embracing her childhood, but here she was acting more mature. His respect for her was genuine. She was twirling the brass bracelet around her wrist.

"How do you like the bracelet?"

"I'm just happy I still have something of hers forever."

He nodded. "What did Irimi talk about down there?"

She looked up at him, "She apologised and told me about things that I didn't understand." He detected some annoyance at her first point.

"I get it. I never liked when people constantly apologised either. When my parents died, all I wanted was to become stronger and stronger, but in doing that, I lost real friends and separated myself from everyone."

His speech seemed to suprised her. Hell, it suprised him. "How did you get over them being gone?"

He thought for a second, "I distracted myself from it by any means necessary, but I don't think I'll ever get over it. My Mother was kind, my Father was strong, and I idolised my brother. Without them I sometimes feel lost but I carry on because I know they would want me too."

"Y-yeah, you're right. Thanks," she mumbled, back in her thoughts again. Suddenly, Maruu hugged his arm- that was under his cloak- quickly and tightly before retreating and leaving for Hinata who was watching him with a smile. He felt wierdly lighter.

Dinner was a mix of rices, noodles, sauces, spices, and chicken, making him admittedly drool to himself at the smell and taste. He, Maruu, and Hinata sat on one side while Yoto and Irimi sat on the other making polite conversation. Since Maruu had hugged him, he hadn't had anything to do so he was pleasantly suprised when the dinner came. Irimi talked more about what the did while in the Mist and Maruu shared stories with everyone from when she was younger. When Yoto finished before everyone he excused himself and started fishing over the side for fun.

The mist, that they were all so used to by now, was nowhere to be seen anymore and the sun had gone down just on the horizon making a waterfall of colours stain the sky. The chilly breeze stayed with them however, making everyone rather cold. At one point, he even had to regulate his chakra to warm himself up. That was handy.

By the time everyone got to sleep it was midnight, and the moon was high. Sasuke sat outside, still in his chair, watching the stars and eventually drifting off to sleep.

By the time he had woken up he realised he had slept for a abnormal amount of time.

"Land Ho!" Yoto laughed loudly, startling him awake. "We made it!"

Sasuke hoisted himself up using his knees to brace himself as he looked out across the ocean. A few miles away was the shore and jetty they had previously moored at. The cliff face was as tall as ever. The sea was much calmer than yesterday when he looked at it, giving them a safe clear way ahead.

"I'll go wake them," he said.

"No need, they're already up. I think everyones having a quick shower," Yoto told him. It wasn't very often Hinata woke before him. It might of only happened two or three times. Even Maruu preferred sleeping. He really did over sleep. He couldn't remember a time when he felt so light and refreshed.

It didn't take long to reach shore, maybe only half an hour. Hinata and Maruu joined him just before wearing the same clothes but with damper hair. He looked closely to see if Hinata was wearing any makeup again but it seemed she wasn't. She didn't need it after all. His throat dried up all of a sudden.

While Sasuke moored the ship to the small jetty, he listened as Hinata said their goodbyes and thank yous.

"We appreciate it so much. Thank you Yoto, Irimi. I wish you a safe return," she bowed.

"No problem, Hinata. Have fun in the Sand Village. Look after those two," Yoto said, meaning him and Maruu. Sasuke scoffed silently.

"It wasn't any problem at all. Good luck. Bye Maruu," Irimi waved.

Shortly after, Hinata dismounted and got to the beach as Sasuke finished up.

"Keep them safe, Sasuke Uchiha," Yoto said seriously to him. Irimi nodded, also serious.

"Yes," he replied. He would do just that.

Sasuke leapt off the side and landed sharply on the old, moist wood. He could see termites scuttling along and going underneath the jetty leaving holes wherever they went.

"Can we take the stairs this time?" Hinata asked, looking up at the cliff face. He remembered the last time being here when she had fainted on his back.

"If you'd like. I don't want you fainting again."

He hurried up the stone stairs to reach the top. The stairs were much further than just walking up the cliff to him. When he finally hit the final step and onto the grass at his feet he looked back over the edge towards Yoto ship. His words were a heavy burden, but he would carry it, Sasuke was sure.

'Keep them safe, Sasuke Uchiha'

Wait! Sasuke Uchiha...?

Yoto had said his clans name. His full name! He was sure he had never told him, so how did he know? He had known and still showed him true kindness. Why?

The urge to go back down and confront him was strong but Hinata's tugging was stronger. His last glimpse was of a small figure smiling knowingly on a wooden boat: Yoto.

 **Mainland.**

Since the Land of Fire was in the path to the Land of Wind and in extension the Sand, they made quick headway through familiar territory. Along the way were many people, young and old, coming up the path. Hinata greeted each one as they passed her by while Sasuke allowed Maruu to ride on his shoulders. It made her laugh when Sasuke grumbled at first but gave up once Maruu begged him.

The two got along well despite not talking as often as she did with Maruu. The talk that Sasuke had with Maruu on Yoto's ship was sad and inspiring at the same time. Hinata couldn't help but overhear some points of the conversation and it made her realise how Sasuke was still dealing with his families death and Maruu also going through it. His advice was nice even if he had no idea what he was saying.

At the memory of Yoto and Irimi, Hinata wondered whether they would ever cross paths again. It was unlikely, however sad, that they would. She would stay in the Leaf while they would carry on sailing the Land of Water's seas.

When Sasuke had told her about what Yoto had said, even though she knew he was hiding something he had said, she was pleasantly shocked. To think that he knew all that time and didn't judge Sasuke for what he had done made her happy. Her best friend deserved some kindness.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hinata spotted a small stall shack ran by a equally small woman. She had brown short hair and wore a green summer dress for the warm weather- Hinata still hadn't adjusted to the different temperature.

She turned to Sasuke. He hadn't spotted it yet, to busy batting Maruu's hands off his hair. "Sasuke-kun, I'm going to go buy some supplies for the trip."

He stopped what he was doing and found the stall, "Mhmm."

She stalked off, satisfied, toward the wooden stall. As she got closer she could see that baskets were laid out on a unit displaying various foods and tools.

The woman spotted her and ran around frantically fixing everything up before waving, "Morning, did you need anything?"

"Oh yes please," she looked across the table, judging each piece.

Some baskets displayed fruits, some displayed meats, peanuts, vegetables, and bread. In the end she bought fruit, a loaf of bread, tomatoes- they were Sasuke's upmost favourite- and ham.

Once she had handed over the ryo, they were back on the pathway to the Land of Wind. To get there they had to go through another, smaller land, but Sasuke said it was insignificant and that she would barely notice the change in scenery. All in all, it would only take three days.

It soon became clear that they would have to stop for the night, so Sasuke found a enclosed and flat spot to pitch the tent. Trees surrounded the larger tent from all sides, blocking the last of the suns rays.

Out of the three rooms, Hinata took the middle while Maruu and Sasuke had the two beside her. After they ate some ham sandwiches made by her, they changed clothes and went to sleep. It wasn't as awkward as the first time as she couldn't see Sasuke's bare chest, though it made her feel safe sleeping close to him.

In the morning, Sasuke was up first as usual, doing some vigorous exercise outside the tent. It was a beautiful... morning. Hinata watched from a distance as he finished the last of his one-arm push-ups. His tones arms barely struggled under the strain and beads of sweat dropped off his dark hair. Hinata turned to hide the heat in her cheeks. She still wasn't used to him barechested. Speaking of hair, hers was beginning to get longer and rested at her upper back. Sasuke hadn't said anything about it, so she presumed he didn't mind. She had once heard that he liked longer hair in the academy. Did he still like it?

"Hyūga? You're up early," Sasuke said breaking her out of her daze. She nodded, "Want to train?"

"Ok." The campsite was big enough so that they didn't have to move elsewhere away from Maruu.

She knew she'd never beat Sasuke in a sword fight, but improving to impress her friends and family meant the world to her. Making Sasuke proud was a welcome bonus.

Drawing Dawn, it reflected the light off of it beautifully. Across from her Sasuke drew Pitch from his waist and ran blue chakra through the blade. She pointed her weapon forward and ran electricity down it so that it wouldn't be broken.

Thinking carefully, she stepped towards him, sword still pointing up. With every step the atmosphere only got more tense. Sasuke's onyx eye stared into her as he watched her move towards him. He made no attempt to move.

As she reached him from swords length, she frowned in confusion and decided to attack. With her full strength she flung Dawn sideways at his waist.

At the last millisecond, Sasuke dropped his sword to the side and countered her blade, sending a ringing clash in every direction.

He slid his sword down the edge of hers and made a quick movement with his wrist which resulted in her katana flying over her head as she lost her grip. Avoiding his own stab, she kicked backwards and knelt down to pick up Dawn. She pulled up but the sword didn't budge. Sasuke's foot was keeping it down. She tried again achieving the same result. At Sasuke's smug smile an idea came to mind and she allowed her raging chakra to enter the blade, igniting it with her fire affinity. A scowl from Sasuke was all it took for him to back off and she finally brought up Dawn protectively. Sasuke didn't back down though- she hadn't expected him too- instead he set his own blade on fire and made a second sword in his right hand out of lighting. It was the first time she had seen this and wasn't prepared for the chirping and blinding blue light.

Hinata knew she couldn't beat him with one sword, let alone two. She made a mental note to get Sasuke to teach her his trick.

With one hand shielding her sensitive eyes and the other wielding Dawn, Hinata defended herself from the relentless attacks Sasuke was dishing out. She had to keep an eye out for both swords to figure out where he would strike from next. The fire and lighting hit each other constantly. Roars and Chirping deafened her but she pushed on.

Dropping to the floor and moving one leg outwards she pivoted around aiming for his shins. The dark cloak was just above her striking point. Once again he tried the same thing. Lifting up his leg he stomped down hard trapping the blade under his foot and making her lose her grip effectively cutting of her chakra and stopping the blade roaring. With both hands he lay his swords on each of her shoulders like a pair of scissors.

"Dead."

Ignoring his comment, she demanded, "You have to teach me that! The lighting sword thing."

He raised his eyebrow looking down at her, "Sure." With a snap of his fingers, the lighting blade dissapated and Pitch was back in its scabbard. He offered his hand which she took to pull herself up from the situation she had gotten herself in.

Apparently Maruu had witnessed much of the fight but had kept it to herself. As Hinata packed up all their shared gear, Sasuke was talked into showing Maruu how to throw her custom kunai. Hinata watched from a distance as she aimed for the tree trunk that she had had missed many times and Sasuke had hit perfectly.

Eventually after many tries, Maruu gave up and ended up on Sasuke's shoulders where he showed her one last time.

"You'll get it," he assured her.

"Sasuke-kun, we've got to get going," Hinata shouted over to him.

"Right, yeah."

Soon enough they began walking again. Because it was a hot day, she was finally happy about her attire and how she wasn't sweating in front of Sasuke. 'That would be embarrassing,' she thought.

Along the way they started playing a game Maruu suggested. Thinking of a word associated with the previous word said. Apparently her and her Mother used to play it on trips, so Hinata easily played along. Sasuke was clearly the better player behind Maruu, having such extensive experiences of more things.

 **Konaha.**

Dr. Ken knocked on the Hokage's office eager to tell him of his monumental discovery.

"Enter!" a bored voice said.

Dr. Ken pushed open the heavy doors and saw a blonde haired woman standing in front of the Hokage's desk. She wore tight, cream trousers and a dark green coat on her upper half. He knew exactly who it was: Tsuande Senju. The Fifth Hokage. He regretted coming in knowing that this was most likely incredibly important. He had worked under Tsunade briefly during her reign so he was familiar with her.

"I apologise for barging in, Sir. Madam," he bowed, pushing his glasses with one finger.

"Ah, Dr. Ken! No please come in. We've just finished discussing an idea we'd like to put in place later this year," Kakashi spoke, peeking his head around Tsunade's waist, "What can I do for you?"

"We've made a breakthrough in the lab with the technology we found a few months back."

Both of them perked up at that and turned to face him. He smiled at their reaction, happy with his team and himself.

"The computers?" he asked.

"Yes, Lord Sixth," Dr. Ken answered.

"Computers?" Tsunade mentioned, clearly confused.

"Yes Mam. They allow you to do things we couldn't imagine before. It will make life much simpler. We can even start mass producing and shipping soon."

"What kinds of things?"

"Well for example: If the Hokage wanted to talk to another Kage, they both needn't bother moving or writing a letter and flying it. They could simply see each other on the computers and talk face to face in real time. It makes sending messages revolutionary!" Dr. Ken proudly announced.

Tsunade looked stunned, and Kakashi looked as equally proud and happy as he did, "Wow! Incredible. When can this be tested?" Tsunade questioned.

"Extremely soon. In a few days we can set up a call to whoever you'd like, Lord Hokage."

"Good. Very good, Dr. Ken. I'd like to reward your whole team tonight with a celebration. As for the test, I have someplace in mind," Kakashi stated. His smile was one of joy and scheming.

 **Sasuke.**

A cabin stood in the middle of the woods with nothing surrounding it. Creepy as it was, it was defused by the colourful flowers and the nice old man beckoning them into the kitchen.

He wore a dusty black kimono and a cap hiding his greying hair. He had a nice personality and was overly happy to have them around. The man's name was Hiyoshi.

Annoyingly, Sasuke was made to feed Hiyoshi's many big, brown dogs who kept barking and trying to bite his cloak. Sasuke gritted his teeth as he finished. Hinata was inside helping the old man cook some vegetable stew for them all, while he was stuck out here.

Sasuke almost smiled when he heard Hiyoshi shout, "Ready!" Almost. Sasuke reserved his rare smile for Hinata- and occasionally Maruu- only.

The man's house was old and the ceilings were low down. Sasuke could still stand but he felt cramped. The stench of Stew wafted through the room as they ate and he looked around at things that caught his attention. The gas stove. The wooden chairs. The fancy cutlery. The paintings.

"So, Hinata, where are you off too?" Hiyoshi asked. Sasuke hadn't given his name this time, opting to use Yoto instead. He didn't want to alarm the man.

"The Sand Village."

"Ah. A nice place. Is it for work or a holiday?"

"Both I guess."

"Hmmm, indeed?"

After dinner, Sasuke took Maruu out the back and started throwing kunai once again after she got over her suprise at the dogs. Each kunai jolted from her small fingers just missing it's target by a fraction. It was an improvement from not hitting the tree at all.

As Sasuke began to grow bored and impatient, he heard a 'thunk'. He looked up and spotted the customised kunai lodged into the tree bark. Turning his eyes to Maruu, she looked stunned. He was about to ask what was wrong when she broke out into a large smile and began jumping with joy.

She tugged on his cloak repeatedly saying, "Did yoyu see that? Did you see that?"

"Well done," he looked down at her.

She bowed, "Thanks, Sasuke sensei."

He didn't like the name but he didn't protest in her moment of glory.

"Time to sleep."

"Ok," she agreed.

Hinata and Maruu shared the spare bedroom while Sasuke was, again, stuck with the torturous couch.

 **Morning.**

After they said their goodbyes and thank yous- or at least Hinata did- to Hiyoshi, the trio made their way back through the woods and quickly found the path to The Sand. Further down, a signpost backed this up. It read '20 miles. Follow path' with a Sand symbol on it. It was necessary to make it hard to read as it was a Hidden village, hence why it was tucked away behind some bushes. Only a shinobi or a good eye could catch it.

Eventually the grassy pathways and green trees gave out to golden, soft sand and dead, skinny trees. Hills of sand surrounded the environment and he could spot falcons and snakes everywhere. Neither would hurt them, but Sasuke still had to assure both of them they were under no threat.

It would be a few hours before they would make it to the village so he set up a makeshift table (consisting of rocks) to put their food on. He relished the bread and tomatoes. The slightly warm water was annoying but he ignored it.

"How much longer Sasuke?" Maruu asked. She was the only one not even remotely tired due to being on his shoulders the whole time. He would of complained but he had agreed to it.

"Around four hours," he explained. He drew out a picture in the sand with a dry stick he found laying next to him.

He drew the basic shape of the Land of Wind and marked where the Village was and where they were roughly at that moment. He pointed to The Sand. "Not far now."

"What about when we get there? What then?"

"We'll have to talk to the Kazekage quickly but then we should be able to get some rest, Maruu," Hinata said. He nodded his approval.

"Can you walk alright, Hyūga?"

"Yeah, my feet are just a little sore in these sandals. Sorry." He wanted to help her but couldn't get himself to do it.

"Don't worry," he grinned, "Let's get going."

The sky was a light blue with a few white clouds floating in the breeze. It was still afternoon but he was also feeling a little tired. The pain vanished once he spotted the huge sandstone walls in the distance.

"The Sand Village. An hour walk, half that if he run?" he smirked.

"How about a speedy walk?" Hinata suggested, staring at The Sand in the distance.

"Suit yourself."

With every fast step, sand was dislodged from its resting place and fell down the sand hills like a waterfall. The rushing sound of it was beginning to get on his nerves. His hand had found Hinata's to keep her in pace with him. Maruu still rested on his shoulders patting a rhythm of four on the top of his head. He ignored it and focused solely on her hand in his. She looked mesmerising as she breathed deeply and tried to keep up with him. He didn't really know where they stood at the moment. Friends? More? He wanted to ask, to get to know her inside and out, but also didn't want to lose her or push her to hard.

Sasuke looked up at the huge wall in front of him. It was easily over 30 feet. 30 feet of sand! A clear split ran down the middle to operate as a door opening. He had seen it before. How ninjas could open it both ways to allow a select view entry.

Etched into the great wall was a single word he had spent four days looking forward to seeing.

Sunagakure.

 **Thanks for reading and for waiting. I had a lot to deal with over these past weeks and couldn't find the time to finally finish this chapter. I should be back to normal now however so expect more soon. Favourite and review please. Suggestions welcome. I hope you like the time progression at Konoha.**

 **~UE**


	14. Settling In

It was late afternoon when the gates were cleared to be opened for the three of them. The mighty sandstone barriers were pulled left and right to allow them entry into the Sand Village. Shinobi wearing attire similar to the Leaf's could be seen atop the wall and waiting for them inside. The only difference was the white cloth most of them had wrapped around the tops of their heads with some of it hanging down over one of their eyes. It was pretty laughable to him. Their forehead protectors had the symbol of a engraved 'i'.

Once he crossed the threshold into the main city, Sasuke looked around. It was clear that orange was the prominent colour as nearly everything was orange. Houses were generally cylindrical or a dome shape with small windows that Sasuke doubted could be looked through very easily. Everything, literally everything, was made of sand.

With a tug from Maruu, he placed her on the ground where she raced to Hinata's side to hold her hand. Seeing a brand new place with brand new people was definitely difficult. Speaking of which; Sasuke had never actually visited The Sand either. He had, however, fought the Kazekage- not once but twice- and many of his subordinates.

Gaara. Naruto's other best friend since childhood. It was odd how an unstable jinjuriki had managed to become a Kage but he supposed it was to keep an eye on him or manipulate him. Either way, he wasn't looking forward to seeing him face to face anytime soon.

Inside, a team of Jonin were waiting for them. Three men. The first had brown hair and blue eyes with a black coat on. The second had the weird cloth thing on his head, and the last wore a black all in one suit that reach over his head, his face was also painted purple in stripes. On his back was a large scroll obviously hiding something important inside.

When the group spotted them, they looked relieved until their eyes settled on him. Looks of disgust and hatred happened upon them. Unlike The Mist, which was on a far away island, The Sand and it's people had had multiple run-ins with the Akatsuki and him so Sasuke doubted anyone liked him in and around Suna. This was going to be harder than he thought.

The man with purple paint on his face conversed with his peers silently before talking to Sasuke directly.

"Uchiha, my name is Kankuro. I'm here to escort you safely to the Kazekage, do you comply?" Kankuru stated. The name rang a bell. Naruto had talked about him being Gaara's brother and right hand man.

"Of course. That's why I'm here," Sasuke replied back coldly.

Kankuro nodded once in acknowledgement, not wanting to talk to him longer than needed to. His eyes shifted to Hinata and Maruu. "Hinata! It's lovely to see you, welcome to Sunagakure."

"Thank you, Kankuro. It's a lovely village," she bowed shortly.

"You're welcome. And who's this?"

"This is-"

"None of your business. Only Gaara needs to know why she's here. I seem to remember being told I was to be taken to him?" Sasuke cut in. He did not want to retell the tale again to some lackey. Hinata looked surprised at his outburst and Maruu looked to a spot on the floor. He would talk with them later and help them understand.

"Fine," Kankuro almost spat. The two other Jonin looked even more furious at Sasuke's outburst. "This way."

Sasuke flashed him a smug smile which made the mans eye twitch before falling slightly behind them with Hinata and Maruu. Sasuke went into his cloak and pulled out Mei's and Kakashi's credentials stating they could stay here and who Maruu was, so that he could give it to Gaara.

The young Kazekage was strong, Sasuke could admit that. Even without the One-tails, he could still control tonnes of sand which could then be used to protect him incredibly well. It was the ultimate defence until he unlocked his Susanoo. Sasuke had fought Gaara for the Chunin exams. It seemed so long ago. It was the first time he had used his signiture lightning move: Chidori, and saw a Tailed Beast. Gaara often liked to compare the two of them, with how he used to be lost until he found Naruto. 'I guess it was true,' Sasuke thought.

"Are you OK, Sasuke-kun?" Hinata whispered next to him. She looked concerned like a Mother wanting to help her child. "You snapped a little."

"I'm fine, Hyūga," he sighed, "I'm just not very well liked in Sunagakure."

"Yeah I can see. I'm sorry."

"I told you it wasn't your fault. Don't worry about me, let's just get this over with."

"Ok, but if you need to talk, I'm here for you, Sasuke-kun. Perhaps we could... go out later on... to a restaurant or something."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow at her sudden shyness. He hadn't dealt with that from her for ages, but she just looked so damn cute. He smiled, "Oh? Sure, whatever you like." She smiled back, touching his arm for support before walking ahead a little.

Around him were more shops on one street than probably the whole of The Mist. Lots of clothes shops and cafés selling everything under the sun were scattered everywhere. Sasuke started looking for the best place to go later on. That's when he spotted the villagers. Nearly all of them were staring at him in distaste and disbelief. Many turned away when he made eye contact but the ones that didn't, whispered to themselves or others about his history. The silver lining was that at least he had a reputation- good or bad- in the Sand. Hinata looked back at him, her face saying 'sorry' yet again. And with just that, Sasuke felt immediately better with himself. Another silver lining; Hinata believed in him and he wouldn't let her down and give into the villagers ideals of him.

Along the way, Sasuke bought a Poncho similar to Hinata's. It was a browny, rustic colour with red, green, and yellow bands running around the neck. It stopped just below his knees. He sealed it into a scroll for later use. Buying it wasn't as simple. In the end he just took it and left the correct amount of ryo on the counter before walking away from the woman that was giving him daggers.

Not long later did they all come to a stop at the Kage Tower. It had a small wall running around it for minimal protection. Above the wall was a spherical ball housing the famous Kage himself. On the ball was a large, red kanji reading 'Kage Tower'. Signs and adverts were plastered to the wall around it. All in all, it didn't give off the feeling of a Kage Tower. It was smaller than some other buildings around it, and it was certainly not grand.

"You can leave now, thank you for your help, Rho. Latty," Konkuro said to the two Jonin. They both bowed, flashed him a dirty look and flash stepped away without a word. "The Kazekage's tower. Follow me."

They went around the wide building and finally found the entrance. At a glance at the door, it seemed like a simple wooden entrance with no guards posted. On closer inspection, Sasuke could feel chakra radiating off of it, ready to stop anyone who wasn't authorised. He supposed that anyone who could get passed the ginormous gates would be beaten before they got anywhere near the Kage Tower. Then again, Deidara had done it by flying. That didn't go to well for the Sand Village.

Konkuro latched a visible chakra string- a by-product of puppetry- onto the door, pumping his chakra into it. Within seconds the chakra surrounding the door was disabled and they entered the Tower.

There was a homely feel to Gaara's oversized sand castle. Employees treated each other more like family than colleagues. They rushed around greeting each other as they went about their day. No Anbu could be spotted anywhere but Sasuke knew they had to be close in case of an emergency. Comfy, green seats lined the walls with glass desks holding folded paperwork. Through some doorways were training grounds where trainees could practice, and shinobi could hone their skills to serve their Kage. Even though many of the employees didn't like him around, none blatantly rejected him from the building. He didn't think he could handle that bother.

They came up to a small desk behind a glass barrier. Behind the glass sat a young, blonde woman who was rushing around with paperwork. When she spotted Konkuro she smiled gratefully and addressed him, "Hey Konkuro, need anything?"

"Hey Sam, Is the Kazekage free at the moment? We have guests," Konkuro asked, motioning to them. She spared them a quick glance.

"Let me check," she flicked through a timetable on her desk, humming in thought, "Uhh, yes, he should be free now."

"Thanks."

Sasuke followed Konkuro through a empty doorway. If his calculations were correct, they were in the exact center of the building. That seemed to ring true when he spotted the spiral staircase running up above them. It was a silver and black sand that looked quite grand.

"Up the stairs and straight ahead. My brother should be waiting," Konkuro said.

"You're leaving?" Hinata asked.

"Yep, sorry. Lots of things to do, but I will see you two soon. Goodbye." He left at that and Sasuke turned to climb the stairs.

It felt like he was going round and round forever until he reached the top. It was a thin staircase. At the top was a short corridor leading to a wooden door with only a silver knob on it.

"Ready?" Sasuke asked them both. It was met with two nervous nods.

With a quick stride he was in front of the door turning it open. The door creaked and revealed the Kazekage's quarters. The floor was an ugly green, but had a purple carpet over the top of it. Two plant pots stood either side of the desk. At the back was six small, oval windows peering out over the Village. The desk was wooden with a deep, red cover over it. Cacti was displayed to show anyone they were still in a desert. It smelled very musky as if one were in an underground cave.

One thing different from Kakashi's office was the lack of paperwork. Apparently Gaara didn't slack off in that apartment. The Sage forbid when Naruto has to start that shenanigans.

Sat at a leather swivel chair was the Kazekage himself. He wore a red cloak with a grey jacket on top of it. Matching the red cloak was his bright, unusual hair that stood to attention all spikey. Black eyeshadow surrounded Gaara's turquoise eyes and on his forehead was a red tattoo that read 'ai' which signifies love as a symbol of a 'demon loving only himself.' On the right of his desk was the gourd of sand he always kept with him. It allowed him to create his ultimate defence.

Gaara's hands were clasped together and he was looking at the three of them intently. With a quick movement, Sasuke threw the scroll containing the credentials towards him. The sand from the gourd sprang to life and caught it in midair placing it softly on the desk. He read it carefully.

From what Sasuke could remember, it mentioned that him and Hinata would be staying for four months to help out wherever required. It also mentioned who Maruu was and what happened to her. It explained they were searching for a relative or guardian. And, of course, it had both Kage's signatures to show it wasn't a hoax or trick.

"I see," Gaara said out loud for the first time. His voice was monotonous and sad at the same time. Still, it was powerful. "I welcome you to Sunagakure, Sasuke Uchiha, Hinata Hyūga, and Maruu Sintary. It's been a while. How have your travels been?"

It was Hinata who answered him. Sasuke awaited his judgement from the man. "They've been successful, Kazekage. We've left The Mist knowing that we've helped many people who were struggling through the aftermath of the war. Lord Sixth has asked us to come here next to help wherever needed. Thank you for giving Sasuke-kun this chance!"

"Just Gaara is fine, Hinata. Any friend of Naruto's is a friend of mine. You're welcome," Gaara exclaimed, "Hello Maruu, it's nice to meet you, I'm sorry for your loss."

"Hello... Thank you for letting me stay," Maruu gasped.

Gaara smiled kindly, "It's no problem at all. I hope you enjoy your stay. There's a fireworks display soon in honour of the fallen and to represent new beginings, I'm sure you'll love it." That cheered up Maruu greatly and she smiled back at him, apparently happy she gets to see a firework show. Sasuke wondered if she had ever seen one before.

Finally all eyes drifted to him. Hinata knew quite a bit about his history but not all. Maruu had no clue what happened between them two. Gaara searched his eyes for any information. Sasuke stayed calm and collected.

"Your eyes... They're no longer dead. You're content, as if you've found something you've been searching for. I'm glad you've changed your ways and you're no longer lost. Naruto was so badly affected," Gaara examined. Sasuke felt like Gaara had stared a little into his soul. At least he was no longer 'dead' whatever that meant. He closed his eyes awakening his Sharingan and opened them again. The Sharingan showed no emotion so Gaara couldn't read him as easily. A simple facade. Hinata seemed suprised at his rash course of action.

It didn't fool Gaara however, he simply smiled at him then at Hinata.

"I assume you are all tired from the journey?"

Hinata and Maruu nodded.

"I've taken the liberty to book you a hotel: The Moseleum Hotel. It's a few blocks from here. Room one hundred and twenty."

"Thank you," Hinata bowed.

"May I speak to Sasuke alone? I can have someone show you the way to your hotel?"

"Uhh," Hinata looked slightly puzzled. With a quick look in her direction she nodded at him and took her leave with Maruu, "I'll see you soon, Sasuke-kun."

When the room was clear, the two stared at each other.

"You have feelings for her?" Gaara smiled.

"I've no idea what you mean, Gaara," Sasuke said back, moving to look out of the porthole windows.

"She likes you too, I can see it in her eyes, she just doesn't know it. But she also likes Naruto you know?"

"I'm aware. Whoever she chooses is up to her," he replied, slightly jealous again. He desperately wanted to change the conversation.

"I see. You've matured."

"Is this all you wanted to talk about," he snapped, losing his patience.

"No. I wanted to go over what you being here entails."

"Go on."

"During your stay, there will be few missions and many will be helping the Villagers. You need to build their trust up again. I'll try and find some bigger ones for you as well."

"I agree."

"Also, there's been a scientific breakthrough in the Leaf and Kakashi wants to test it soon, so I'd like you to be here for that if you will?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"You'll see," Gaara said knowingly, "In the meantime I'll send off an eagle to Kakashi and let him know you've arrived."

An awkward silence came over them suddenly.

"What's the best restaurant in town?" Sasuke asked through gritted teeth. His nerves shook even more when he heard a low chuckle behind him. 'Argh'.

 **The Moseleum Hotel.**

"Room One-Hundred and Twenty. Yes of course, we have you booked under 'Hyūga'. The Kazekage came and made this reservation himself. You must be very special to afford this place. It's the best hotel in the village!" the middle aged woman ranted. She had brown hair tied in a pony tail and she wore a white business suit and a red tie.

"Can I have the key please?" Hinata asked. Maruu was growing restless and needed some sleep.

"Oh yes, of course, here," she handed a gold key, with the number '120' on it, over. "Please enjoy your stay."

"Thank you."

She backed away from the reception and made her way over to Maruu.

"I've got it. You ready?"

"Finally! I'm so tired!" Maruu yawned. Hinata laughed and took her hand.

As they made their way up the marble staircase, her mind drifted to Sasuke. When he had subtlety asked her to leave him alone with Gaara she got worried and didn't want to leave. She didn't know why, but she didn't want to leave him at all these past few weeks. It was like that with Naruto, but she knew that Naruto was always away so she could never be anywhere near him.

When they would go to the restaurant later, she could ask him more about his life and what happened with Gaara which she so greatly wanted it was like a drug. To learn more about Sasuke was to know him. The people who looked at him in disgust broke her heart because she knew the real him. Only her.

"Hinata, this is our floor!" a voice shouted behind her.

Hinata broke out of her stupor and turned around seeing Maruu a flight of stairs down. She turned to look at the floor. Floor 8. She'd gone too far while lost in her thougts.

"Oh sorry," she apologised. When they were finally on the right floor, they quickly found the room and unlocked it. The room was a pristine white but she knew behind the wallpaper was a lot of sandstone bricks. Still, it looked nice. They walked into the living room that was connected to the kitchen. It was relatively big. Bigger than their previous apartment. The lights were much brighter and she could spot many bookcases and lots of food everywhere. There were two bathrooms, each incredibly white and clean. And finally there were the two bedrooms.

'...Wait two bedrooms!' She almost shouted out loud. The hotel room had only given them two rooms. Of course- Gaara didn't know Maruu was coming so he gave them two rooms. Oh no. What would Sasuke think? What would her Father think? What did she think?

Hinata decided to calm down and talk about it with Sasuke first. Perhaps they could ask for a bigger apartment when they go for dinner. Yes. She was thinking clearer now.

After making a small snack for Maruu, she put her to bed in one of the large bedrooms. Before walking into the living room and staring out of the window.

Outside was beginning to get a bit darker. It was probably around six in the afternoon judging by the sun's position. It was still warm and humid outside as well. That was something she would have to get used to.

The front door unlocking startled her and she turned around to see Sasuke walking in.

"Sasuke-kun, are you Ok? What did Gaara want?" she blurted out.

"Don't worry about it, we can talk later at the restaurant," he avoided her eyesight to look around the room, "Nice place."

"Yeah it is... There's just one small problem," Sasuke raised his eyebrow in confusion. "There's only two beds."

Sasuke's eyes widened suddenly, "Oh. Have you asked reception?"

"Not yet. I was going to when we leave later."

"Speaking of which we should get going soon. I... saw a place on the way that looked nice," his face looked strained at that almost as if he was bringing up bad memories. She was about to ask what was wrong but he spoke again, "What do you think?"

"Should I change?" she asked, looking down at her clothes slightly nervous for some reason.

"You look perfect... ly fine in that! Whatever makes you comfortable," he stuttered, before walking off into the kitchen. At his words her heart beat quickened its pace. In a split second decision she threw on some casual clothes and met Sasuke in the kitchen. He had discarded his cloak, scrolls, and sword in favour of his black, high necked shirt and black trousers. She followed suit and placed her katana next to his on the table.

"I'm ready. Should we get going?" she said.

He gave her a quick look over and agreed with a nod.

Once they made it to the reception, they moved in line and saw many people getting turned away. Hinata gulped. Soon it was their turn and she managed to get matched up with the same talkative, brunette woman.

"Hello again, is there anything I can do for you?" she asked, and then looked at Sasuke- she she was holding hands with- "I see your boyfriends here now? Are you going out on a date?"

Ignoring her comment- which made Hinata blush red- Sasuke said back, "Our room only has two beds, are there any other bigger rooms avaliable?"

"Oh, uh, sorry no. They've all been snatched up for the fireworks display soon. Probably every other hotel too. Is there anything else I can do?"

"No, never mind," Sasuke finished. They turned away towards the main entrance. "I'll just sleep on the couch, it doesn't matter."

"No!" she exclaimed before she could stop it, "You've slept on the couch for months now, it's not fair. Let me take it."

"Hyūga, if you think I'm going to let you sleep on an uncomfortable couch you've got another thing coming," he grinned, "You are from a prestigious clan after all."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the mention of her clan. She didn't need their luxury all the time. "I don't need your pity. You are too!"

Sasuke grinned wider, "Well there's only one more option. Sharing?"

"Huh?" she staggered backwards.

"It's not that bad. You hurt me," he feigned pain, "Its a pretty big bed. It's your choice though."

"Can I think about it?"

"Sure."

Twenty minutes later they stood in front of a big restaurant complex. It was the only building on the street that wasn't sand. Well, it was, but it was painted a nice blue colour. There were large glass panes looking into the fancy place. Inside, she could see neat tables and chairs and even a piano player in the middle. Waiters and waitresses wearing black suits roamed around the place.

"Woah, this place is really nice," Hinata uttered. Sasuke was smiling, looking relieved. "Can we even afford anything in here?"

"Of course," he affirmed, "Come on let's get a table."

They sat at a small, two seater table a few metres away from the piano player and listened quietly to the music. Sasuke had insited they sit in a darker area so no one could throw him dirty looks all night and lower her reputation. Like she cared about her reputation. He didn't deserve this.

"So... what did Gaara want alone you for while I was gone?" she asked innocently.

"He went over what I would be doing here and wanted me to test out something for Kakashi. He won't tell me what it is though. He said something else but it's of no concern," he replied, hiding something.

"Ah," she said, "It seemed pretty tense in there with you two."

"Indeed. Back when I was... rogue, I fought him and the rest of the Kage's at a Summit. I may have insulted him a bit. I passed that now, and he seems to be as well." So that's what it was. No wonder they were so rash towards each other.

"I'm glad you've changed then. We would've never of met else."

"True," he looked sad at that.

They drifted into comfortable silence and listened to the woman singing in her angelic voice.

'You're alone,

You're on your own, so what?

Have you gone blind?

Have you forgotten what you have and what is yours?

Glass half empty, Glass half full,

Well either way you won't be going thirsty,

Count your blessings not your flaws'

The piano playing was beautifully well done and the voice matched it perfectly. She found herself looking back at Sasuke.

'You've got it all,

You lost your mind in the sound,

There's so much more,

You can reclaim your crown,

You're in control,

Rid of the monsters inside your head,

Put all your faults to bed,

You can be king again'

Hinata watched the piano keys get tapped in perfect order and how they made an incredible sound. She had never learned an instrument, always focused on fighting and clan politics.

'There's method in my madness,

There's no logic in your sadness,

You don't gain a single thing from misery,

Take it from me.

You don't get what all this is about,

You're too wrapped up in you're self doubt,

You've got that young blood, set it free'

She turned to Sasuke again and looked into his eyes. The deep onyx eyes that pulled her in. She always thought hers were hypnotic, but his were mesmerising-

"Hello, my names Elise, I'll be your waitress tonight. May I take your order?" a girls voice asked.

Pulled from her thoughts she looked at the voices origin. It was a girl around her age. She wore a identical black waitress suit. She had a strikingly similar colour hair to Hinata's own, only it was longer and tied into a high pony tail. She was very pretty. Unfortunately she only had eyes for Sasuke. Hinata felt her blood boil slowly.

"Your order, sir?" she asked again.

Sasuke sank back into the dark. "I suppose you'll let everyone know I'm here now."

"Huh? Oh, the famous Sasuke Uchiha. I promise I won't tell."

"Why?"

"Because I don't believe in judging people straight away. Plus I heard you were here to help out. Thats good enough for me. Oh and you're incredibly good looking," Elise told him leaning closer.

"Thanks," Sasuke said without emotion. She knew he didn't enjoy females attention all that much.

How dare she say that. Hinata felt anger rise up.

"So would you like anything to eat?"

"Hyūga?" he looked at her.

"I'm feeling a bit tired Sasuke-kun. Can we go?" she said. She felt bad to lie, but the waitress had ruined her mood.

"Oh?" Sasuke asked suprised. She flashed him a weak smile, "Sure, whatever you want."

He held out his hand for her and she lifted herself onto her feet.

"Sorry. Must dash," Sasuke told Elise.

"See you around, Sasuke-kun," Elise finished smiling seductively. Hinata left before she said anything else.

Once they were back at the hotel Hinata sat down on the bed and began drinking the wine that was complementary with the room. She had never tried it before but it tasted nice and she felt insanely unhappy at the moment.

Sasuke came into the room after putting their stuff away and noticed her drinking the bottle. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Don't," he said, taking the bottle just as she was about to finish it. She was about to protest when he said, "You'll feel worse in the morning trust me. Stop."

She nodded along, slightly tipsy.

"Do you need help or shall I go?" he asked.

Go? Oh right, the couch. "We can share, Sasuke." She realised she hadn't used her usual -kun but she couldn't be bothered to correct herself.

Sasuke's eyes widened again. "Are you sure?"

"You're my best friend, Sasuke. You don't need to sleep on the couch," she confessed. He was utterly surprised again by her words. He smiled sweetly at her.

"Thanks for that."

He climbed into bed shortly after, wearing just his trousers. He shifted to the far right while she stayed on the left. Within minutes she had fallen asleep, whether it was the alcohol or sleeping next to someone she cared about, she didn't know.

 **Konoha.**

Kakashi held the recent report from Gaara in his hands and read it over.

'Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyūga have arrived safely at Sunagakure. If there are any problems please write back whenever you can. Thank you Kakashi for sending them around. They make a good team.'

It was good they had finally made it because now he could do two things he had been meaning to do for a while now. The first was test the prototype computer they had sent to Gaara on how well it handled the computer conference. That way he could see and issue orders to Sasuke whenever and far more easily.

The second was to continue gathering much needed information on Sasuke and Hinata. He desperately wanted to know what was going on.

"Two-Face!" he said to thin air for the second time.

Within seconds the Anbu man with a double coloured mask appeared in his office.

"Lord Hokage?" the man said through his mask.

"Hello again, Ash."

He was silent for a second as if he needed time to catch up. "They've arrived at The Sand, my Lord?"

"Indeed. It's the same mission as before. I may have permission from Gaara this time but try to stay covert and out of sight. My student is no push-over. He may easily spot you or your chakra. You need to be extremely careful. I need you to trail them for their entire stay and then report back to me. Is everything understood?" Kakashi commanded boredly.

Ash soaked up the information and replied with a curt, "Yes, sir."

"Great," Kakashi replied, "Have fun. Dismissed!"


	15. Shinobi Detectives

'THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!'

Hinata felt like her heart had replaced her brain. The endless pulsating drew her from her unconscious sleep as painfully as possible. This headache was worse than when she was stabbed by Pain. Well, maybe not that bad, but it was almost on par.

She vaguely remembered Sasuke ripping a wine bottle from the clutches of her hands and telling her not too as it would hurt in the morning. Boy was he right. Her Father would've killed her if he could've seen her last night and now.

Hinata cast her wounded mind back to when Neji-san had gotten his first hangover. Ignoring the pang of hurt, she turned over the memory. Neji had managed to reach the highest kitchen cupboard which housed her Father's favourite alcohol and drank all of it in rebellion. The look on her Father's face was one of mortification. She first thought he would of purposely activated Neji's seal but fortunately he didn't.

Anyway, Hinata remembered how Neji managed to douse the pain and eventually get rid of it: drinking lots of water and wait. Not the perfect answer she was looking for. She had hoped she could find an instant solution, but this was her punishment she supposed.

Instead of getting up slowly and carefully, Hinata swiftly forced herself up and landed on her feet moments later. Like ripping off a plaster; you had to do it quickly. She clutched her head and felt a wave of dizziness rush over her as if her blood was just beginning to circulate again.

Hinata stumbled but caught herself on the bedroom wall. She then realised she had slept the whole night in her Shinibi gear. Without looking, Hinata changed into a black top and some black leggings from where ever she could find it.

As much as she wanted to check on Maruu, the need to get breakfast and somsome water for everyone was higher on her to-do-list. She unlocked the hotel room door and made her way to the lobby cafeteria and lined up in the queue. Around her were mainly older couples that enjoyed waking up at the crack of dawn, and some men with hangovers too. At least she wasn't alone.

"Good morning, what can I get you?"

Hinata realised it was her turn to order. The woman at the counter was a young adult whose eyes were drooping with tiredness. "Um, good morning, can I please have three breakfasts and a glass of water please?"

The woman wrote down her order on a note pad and said, "Yes of course. It should be ready in ten minutes. Is it take away or eat in?"

"Take away thanks," Hinata said back. She moved to the side and picked up some cutlery while she waited. She rubbed her eyes clear and held a palm to her forehead with great difficulty. She had never wanted water more in her life. She was certainly never drinking again, that was a promise. She made a mental note to thank Sasuke for stopping her when he did although he could've done it sooner. What had come over her last night? That had never happened before. The waitress- Elise- had gotten under her skin almost immediately and ruined a perfectly good night. She hoped she would never see her again.

As she watched the chefs in the kitchen behind the counter, she noticed people staring cautiously at her- no her back. They all looked away when she spotted them. Wierd.

"Three breakfasts and a glass of water!" a voice shouted. Her head pounded at the loudness of it. She made her way back and retrieved the tray with the food on. Each breakfast had sausage, egg, and toast. Not waiting, she took the water and downed a dangerous amount of it. She felt the steady cool trickle fill her up slowly, replacing the warm wine. It helped, but not by much. She'd just have to wait it out, it seemed.

On the return up the stairs, she came deadly close to dropping the food but thankfully she made it back to the room. She moved over to the window and opened it, leaving it slightly ajar. Outside, as she'd expected, was just as hot as the day before. It looked to be that the only time she could be cold was at night in under the moon. The streets below were mostly bustling probably due to everyone getting ready for the fireworks display. Speaking of which, Hinata was grateful that Gaara had given them permission to go with Maruu. It would make the girls day and maybe stop her thinking about the tragedy she had been caught in. Hinata couldn't imagine her Father dying as well as her Sister. It was explainable. She didn't know how she would react, but it would most likely be worse than how Maruu had braved it. Even Sasuke had taken it better than she thought he would have ever done. Losing his Mother, Father, Brother and Clan (who were technically his family) all at once was beyond her imagination.

Hinata made her way to Maruu's luxury room and opened the door as quietly as possible, the door wafting the smell of sweet breakfast into her nose. The young girl was laying curled up in the thin bed sheets- so that you didn't overheat- with her hands resting comfortably under the side of her face. She was sleeping soundlessly and happily, unlike how she had that night. She took the plate off of the tray and placed it on the bedside drawer next to Maruu. With a few shakes, Maruu awoke, blinking quickly to get her bearings in the unfamiliar room.

"Hinata?" she yawned, confused.

"Sorry to wake you, I brought breakfast," Hinata replied, pointing to the hot plate.

"S'kay. Thanks." Maruu picked up the plate and rested it on her lap on top of the covers. She glared greedily at the food.

"No problem," she smiled at the drowsy voice, "I'm going to wake Sasuke, I'll see you in a bit."

She received a muffled reply of an 'OK' due to Maruu already digging in. She suppressed a giggle and went to leave the room, but spotted the bracelet Mei had given Maruu on the drawer too. Hinata knew it was undeniably important and that Maruu should keep it on her person at all times. She went to speak again but stopped when she saw Maruu staring at the bracelet too. Instead, she decided to talk about it later with her.

When Hinata checked the couch she soon realised that Sasuke wasn't sleeping there- but in her bed. Next to her. All night. Her cheeks burned at the thought of it but she soon remembered the foggy memory of allowing him to stay and sleep with her because she didn't want him to be uncomfortable on the couch squashed up, and that she had told him that he was her best friend. And it was true. Sure her fellow girls held a place in her heart and would do forever, but none of them had travelled across the continent with her, shared a home with her for months, and helped her become a better person altogether- training and in other ways. She genuinely cared deeply about Sasuke and wanted to protect him no matter what. Sharing the same bed, no matter how awkward it may be, didn't change that. In fact it sort of made their bond stronger. Hinata changed direction and headed towards her- no their- bedroom and drafted a 'thank you for stopping me drinking' speech, along the way.

The first thing she noticed was the bare chested Sasuke Uchiha spread out on top of the bed with his hands behind his head. His raven hair drooped over his closed eyes and his chest rose and fell with each breath he took. She suppressed the blush that was beginning to form. Best friend. Best friend. Stop! She placed the two remaining plates at the foot of the bed and walked towards the mirror to brush out the remaining knots in her hair. She nearly jumped as she picked stray hair off her shirt.

Sasuke's groggy voice rung out behind her. She could tell he was smiling devilishly. "Nice shirt, Hyūga."

What did that mean? Did he simply like the random shirt she had threw on? No, his tone gave that away. She didn't normally buy into his teasing but she would bite.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked turning to him. He was propped up on his elbows with the breakfast she had got him in his lap. He looked incredibly smug as he took a bite of the toast.

"Take a look at the back," he said simply. She frowned and gave in completely to his teasing. It was all too weird for her. She rose to her full height and turned slowly expecting something bad. It was worse than bad. Hinata simultaneously blushed and looked at herself in horror. She now realised why people in the cafeteria were looking at her funny. She was used to wearing her own clan's emblem day in and day out but she was certainly not used to wearing the Uchiha fan emblem, ever! She didn't own any black, long-sleeved shirts. Sasuke did! A red and white fan was embroiled on the back of her- his- shirt. It was a well known fact that there was only one Uchiha member alive, and it was definitely not a woman with lavender eyes.

"Oh my gosh!" she said, not believing how she could make such a mistake, How would he react? "I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun. I had a hangover and just threw it on. I'm sorry!"

She looked to the floor and readied herself for her penance. Her mini heart attack was interrupted by a maniacally laughing Sasuke Uchiha.

"Oh god! You're so serious, Hyūga," he laughed. "Don't be an idiot."

"You're not mad?" she asked carefully.

"Why would I be? Did you think I would be offended you're wearing my clans emblem?"

"Of course!"

"Well, rest assured, I'm not offended in the slightest. If anything it suits you. You can use my shirt as a wake up alternative anytime as far as I'm concerned," he smiled and went back to eating. She didn't know whether he was joking or being serious but she relaxed a little. At the compliment, she felt another flush coming and looked towards anywhere he wasn't.

"I brought you breakfast," she brought up to move the conversation somewhere less awkward.

"I noticed," his lips turned up a little at his own joke, "Thanks."

"No problem," she said, getting up to sit on the side of the bed. She eventually began to eat her own food when she got more comfortable. Suddenly, she felt her head pulsate again and went to massage it with her palm.

"How's the head? You mentioned a hangover I believe?" he asked.

"Yeah, I was stupid. Thanks for stopping me when you did."

"It's not like you though, to drink I mean. I don't think I've seen you touch it all this time we've been together. Why?"

Her mind instantly went to the waitress Elise. Anger. Annoyance. Jealousy...

"I don't know." It was the best she could come up with. She didn't want to lie to him. Her best friend. He'd probably see right through her anyway.

"Hmm," he seemed unconvinced. "I suppose I should thank you for allowing me to sleep in the bed this time, right?"

She smiled. "Of course. You're my best friend remember. You don't deserve to sleep uncomfortably after all you've done for me," she said from her heart.

"Right," he smiled back and seemed more relaxed as if he had had his concerns about them swept away.

"So... what's on for today?" she asked.

They hadn't made any plans for today or really any other day. She guessed exploring the Village would be a viable option as they both had no idea what kind of things were in town. Maybe they could ask around about the fireworks display with Maruu?

"I-

His answer was cut off by a harsh knocking at the door to their apartment. She finished the final bit of her breakfast and looked at Sasuke apologetically before leaving to answer the intruder. On the other side of the door stood the Kazekage himself: Gaara.

"Gaara! Why are you here? Is something wrong?" she questioned, searching his person for any clues.

"Unfortunately yes. May I come in?" he sighed. She opened the door further to grant him entry. He slowly stepped in, taking in the surroundings with his modified gourd on his back. Hinata knew that Gaara was powerful. To become a Kage at such young age was an impressive feat.

They waited for Sasuke to join them as they sat around the table. Minutes later, Sasuke sat down wearing a brand new black shirt and his brother's cloak. Pitch rested at his waist, waiting to strike at a moments notice.

Hinata tugged on Sasuke's shirt nervously as she waited for Gaara to start.

"There's been a murder," he began.

Silence.

"Murder?" she whispered, "How, Where, Who?"

"At a florist called 'Cacti and more!' It happened just this morning on the first shift of the shop," he explained, "As for who, we've no clue."

"And why are you telling us?" Sasuke butted in.

"Ah yes, I'd like you to find the person responsible for the crime. The Sand hasn't had a murder for years and I'd like to keep it that way. If it starts happening again, then the citizens safety will be threatened."

"Don't you have law enforcement?" Sasuke said, raising an eyebrow. Somehow she knew that Sasuke had already figured out what Gaara was about to say.

"Yes, normally they would take care of it, but since there isn't much for you two to do here then I thought this would be easier to let you deal with it. Am I underestimating your abilities?"

Sasuke hid a scowl, but Hinata could see his discontent, "No. We'll catch the person responsible. Where is this shop too?"

"A few streets from here. It should be easy to spot. I need you to interview witnesses and clear this up quickly," Gaara got up to leave, "My Village's safety relies on it."

And then he was gone. Hinata soaked up the information and then went to tell Maruu about their task.

"We should be back by the evening, Ok? I'm sorry we're not around but if everything's sorted we can do something nice again soon?"

"Ok, I won't mess around," Maruu said, "I'll see you soon."

Hinata smiled and nodded at her before turning to leave. Sasuke was suited up and sat in a chair waiting for her.

She was about to open the front door until Sasuke mentioned, "You know you're still wearing my shirt, right. Not that I mind, but people may stare."

She gasped and pulled her hand back from the door handle, as she blushed red. "Oh I forgot. I'll go change. Won't be a minute."

She caught sight of Sasuke smirking as she left. Once she was dressed in her usual mission gear, she left their hotel with Sasuke hot on her heels.

She soon found herself wishing she could hide her emotions like how her companion could. Sasuke could easily go from being happy or angry to an expression that of a corpse. But for her, that wasn't the case. Hinata hated it but she couldn't just look away from the body. They had a job to do and shying away from it wasn't an option.

Her face scrunched up in disgust as she glanced at the cold, dead man lying face down on the shop floor. He looked around thirty but she couldn't know for sure. His black suit was in a shambles and covered in blood. Around him was a large pile of glass and pottery fragments, some of which were stuck to the mans head and shoulders. For each piece of evidence, a white card had been placed next to it, with a number ranging from one to five on them.

She'd seen enough for now. Taking a look at Sasuke, she saw his face was, as predicted, completely without emotion. No hate, or anger, or sorrow. Since he had seen more death than most at a young age, she didn't blame him.

A short woman wearing a white, full body covering walked up to them and, without a greeting, started listing off things of importance about the case from a clipboard.

"The subjects name was Hide Yoriko. From what I could find at short notice was that he was twenty eight years old, single, and was unemployed. The murder was from behind suggesting it was in anger. From the fragments on the floor it seems the murder weapon was not one put two plant pots," she concluded.

"Do we know why a twenty something year old man was in a flower shop?" Sasuke asked. She would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious.

"Not to my knowledge, but the Kazekage has given you two the go ahead to interview the owner and employees along with anyone else of importance. They're being debriefed now. There was one bystander, and the employee who was working the shift. Anything else?"

"No, thank you, we'll speak to them now," he dismissed her and troded off, his cloak flowing backwards from the sudden movement. The cloak that had become like a symbol of hope to her.

The first bystander was an older man who had been out for a morning stroll and had witnessed the ending, or what little of it he saw. Apparently he had heard the glass shatter into a million pieces and may of seen another man come out of the shop, which could have also have been a woman from another angle. All in all, it wasn't particular very informative. They thanked the man for his cooperation and sent him off, making sure he wouldn't leave the village in case something new came up.

The second person was, of all people, Elise. Yes, waitress Elise. She fought to keep her scowl down. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the sight of her. Did he like her? No, impossible! Elise wore a pink, shoulder cut jumper that hid a grey top underneath it leaving the shoulders bare. She also wore similar short shorts to Hinata except they were green, and her grey shoes reached up to her knee. Her hair was pulled into a high pony tail with two strands free, accenting her face.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun and Hyūga right? We met last night," Elise said when she spotted them.

"It's Hinata," she replied backwards, a bit to strongly, "We're investigating this murder at your apparent shop. Care to elaborate?" Oh she would enjoy this. It was so unlike her. She didn't hate or dislike anyone in the world- except for maybe Madara but he was dead- and yet this girl infuriated her to no end without even saying anything. The way she said Sasuke's name. So seductively and with the honorifics she normally used, was frustrating.

"It's not my shop. I just work here as a second job as well as waitressing to make some more money. Is that a crime?" Frustrating indeed!

"But according to your schedule you were working between the hours of the murder. Did you see the perpetrator or anything of importance?"

"Not particular. The man came into the shop and specifically asked for red roses so that he could send them to his girlfriend. He seemed really excited and I rushed off to get the order. I heard a smash and immediately came back thinking he may have accidentally dropped a plant pot. I didn't think he had been murdered. It's horrible. In the shop I work in on my shift. Unfathomable," Elise finished. Though Hinata didn't like her, she new that what most of Elise had said had been true. She may have an unaccredited alibi, but there was no way a girl her age working two jobs to get by would murder a man in cold blood. Her body language and expression made that clear.

"Do you have the man's address?" Hinata asked, and when the girl didn't respond immediately, Sasuke reused her question.

At hearing his voice again, Elise perked up a little. Most of the struggle and sadness had been replaced by joy. "Of course. He wanted me to send them as a surprise so I had to take his address. Shall I get it?"

"No, I'll get it. We can't have evidence tampered with," Sasuke said, and went to retrieve the address book. As soon as he left, Elise entered a staring contest unwillingly with Hinata.

"What's with you and Sasuke-kun?" she said icily.

The question took her aback a little but she didn't show it, instead standing up tall and raising her chin as she proudly told her, "He's my best friend. I help him, he helps me."

"So.. you're not in a relationship?"

Hinata refused to flush. "No," she said simply.

"Great!"

Oh no!. "He won't say yes. He doesn't like go for that kind of stuff. He prefers to be alone and hates annoying fan-girls like you."

She saw Sasuke returning with a small blue notepad in his hand. Elise hid her anger and replied, "We'll see."

He strolled up to her and showed her a page from the book. The writing was neat and covered one and a half pages. The final entry was by a man named 'Hide Yoriko'. Next to this had his address and the name of the recipient- presumably his girlfriend he'd wanted to surprise. Instead he'd been killed. Deprived of all life could offer without a goodbye. The murderer would pay for sure.

"Let's go," Sasuke said, whipping around and grabbing her hand to pull her along as she yelped from the sudden contact.

They stopped dead in their tracks when Elise shouted behind them, "I'm coming with you!"

"No," Sasuke and Hinata said simultaneously. No way was that annoying girl coming along for a murder investigation.

"Please, Sasuke-kun! It was my shift and I feel responsible for my mistake. I want to help make up for it. Act as a consultant. You're not on the police force either. I can be of help, I promise."

"There's no need."

"Well the law states that I am allowed to shadow you since it happened in my establishment. So i'm coming whether I have your permission or not," Elise bit back. Hinata couldn't tell if she was lying. Neither one of them knew the exact law for Sunagakure. Was it an actual law, or was it a made up law to allow her closer access to Sasuke. Either way it seemed the girl would be coming along with them. Hinata swore to read up on the law later to see if Elise's words were true or not.

"Don't get in my way," Sasuke sighed, giving up, before he carried on to the address, her hand in his. A short glance back at Elise revealed that she was staring enviously at their contact and wished it was her, no doubt forgetting what Hinata had said about them being just friends.

The address led to a small community of well off houses in a semi circle. Each one was at least three floors high were made out of finely cut sandstone which would probably never wear. There had been a bodyguard at the entrance to the community that had been a little sceptical, but with Sasuke's smooth words, they finally got him to cooperate. They walked up to the door now parted. Sasuke had seen Elise's death stare and finally realised there was someone watching him holding her hand. He broke it off shortly after, much to her dismay or not, she didn't know. The door was a finely crafted wooden door which stood flush with the exterior wall. At the front were six big windows, two for each floor. The garden was nice and freshly cut so it smelled incredibly appealing. It wasn't as fancy as her estates gardens but it was nothing to shy away from.

Sasuke knocked three times with a balled up fist. It took several seconds for a woman around her thirties to answer. She had a petite body and long blonde hair. She applied her makeup expertly and gave off an aura of authority. The woman wore a white, button-up shirt, and some tight, black trousers.

"Are you Tsubaki Chan, miss," Hinata asked first.

The woman looked at her and answered, "Yes that's me. Did you need something? Anything I have a spare of you can borrow if you'd like?" Her voice was charming and kind like she was speaking to friends or neighbours.

"Oh, uh, no thank you. We're actually here on behalf of the law enforcement , Miss Chan."

"Please call me Tsubaki," she said, then spluttered, "The law? What's happened? I can pay for damages."

Not wanting to break the news, she left it to Sasuke, nudging him a little. It was cowardly but she had already done it once this year and didn't feel like witnessing it again.

"Hide Yoriko has been found murdered this morning," Sasuke said, masking his emotions again.

Hinata watched as the woman's pretty face turned into an image of horror. She was reduced to tears instantly and fell to her knees repeating Hide's name again and again like rotor note. "Hide! No! It's not true. Hide!"

Hinata attempted to comfort her but Sasuke assuring he it was true reversed her attempts. Eventually they gave up and escorted her into her home to sit her down, Hinata going to fetch her a drink to calm her nerves. Once she had returned to some normalcy, Tsubaki choked out a sentence, "Yo- you said he was mur... Do you know wh-who?"

"We're trying too. That's why we're here as well. Do you know of anyone who might've wanted to do this? Any enemies or people still holding grudges?" Elise said, taking initiative to her annoyance. She didn't speak out though, not wanting to frighten the already fragile Tsubaki.

"Not that I know of. Hide was the nicest man I've ever met. His family was never as well off as mine but you know what they say: 'Opposites attract'."

"Of course. Are you completely sure? Even the smallest things can set someone off," Hinata added.

"I am," Tsubaki assured them, "Although I didn't know everything about him. We've only been dating for a few months. Maybe his Brother might be able to answer your questions?"

"His Brothers in the Village too?"

"Yes, they came here together from a run down area. They're inseparable most of the time. Mao. Mao Yoriko."

"Do you know where we might find him?" Sasuke checked.

Tsubaki searched around quickly, eventually pulling out a pad and pencil. She then wrote Hide's and Mao's address on it in clear handwriting, handing it over to her.

"I just want to... know one thing," Tsubaki whispered.

"Where was he found? I- I want to honour my Hide."

There was a thick, palpable tension in the air for a moment, Hinata thought she could cut through it like butter. "At a flower shop called 'Cacti and more!'. He was buying you roses."

Tsubaki broke down again. They all made their apologies short, all feeling sorry for her en masse, before leaving her house and her alone to grieve properly.

The walk to the victims brother's house was short and tense. The only one unaffected by the atmosphere was Elise, who talked and talked asking Sasuke question after question, some of which he begrudgingly answered against his will. All of them Hinata already knew and Sasuke purposely stayed away from the topic of family. She wasn't worth telling. For that, Hinata felt priveliged.

When they found the address the difference in class was obvious. The house was small and uneven unlike Tsubaki's home. There was no garden and no guard. However, shops were easily accessable around the house as they were so close. Hinata watched as Sasuke knocked firmly on Mao's door and waited patiently behind him for the owner to open it. It opened almost instantly to a man who looked similar to Hide except he had a lighter shade of brown compared to his brother.

"Hide Yoriko I presume?" Sasuke asked.

"...Yes, who are you three?" His voice hoarse and of a different accent to that of the Sand's.

"We're under the Kazekage's order to question you for the murder of Hide Yoriko, your brother." Hinata struggled to keep her eyes from widening as she discretely slapped Sasuke on his bicep.

The man looked drained. "Hide? Murdered? Is this a joke?"

"We're extremely sorry, Mr Yoriko, but this isn't a joke. We understand if you don't want to talk to us right now but as my friend here said, we'd like to ask you some questions that could solve the case," Hinata added softly.

"Oh, I see," Mao whispered, "Do you mind if I answer them here?. I don't feel too well at the moment."

"Of course. That's understandable."

"Where were you this morning?" Sasuke started after a brief pause.

Mao's eyes drifted back to Sasuke but didn't make contact. "Looking around the Village for a better paying job. I'm a cleaner right now and I'd like to do anything else. Hide was looking too. After that I came back here to read when you three knocked."

"Do you and your brother have any enemies in the Village? Anyone who might want to kill Hide?"

Mao went to shake his head but stopped, "In our old Village we had some gangs that we owed money, but surely they wouldn't come all the way to the Sand? As for the Sand, we haven't been here long enough to piss anyone off."

Sasuke nodded, "Do you have any other family in the Sand?"

"I'm afraid not. It's just me and Hide... was. Apart from Tsubaki, of course. She was here for both of us when we weren't in the best of places. Great woman," Mao apologised. He was perspiring heavily and looked like he was about to collapse.

"Sasuke-kun, I think Mr Yoriko needs some space. We can report back to Gaara to see if he has any extra information?" Hinata cut-in.

"Suuure."

"Thank you for your time Mr Yoriko, we'll be back when we find the person responsible or if we have more questions."

Mao nodded as he shut the door. He looked like an old lady too frightened to open her front door.

"What about me?" Elise asked loudly, "Am I to just go home and forget about this?"

"Afraid so. If you'd like to talk with the Kazekage, I'm sure I can set it up?" Hinata almost sneered. When did that happen? She didn't sneer. Hyūga heiress!

Elise's face frowned in frustration. "Sasuke-kun?"

"It's not my decision. I suggest you take her advice," Sasuke sighed, already walking off.

Elise let out a stream of air from her lungs, turned on her heel and stormed off not so elegantly. Hinata was secretly happy Sasuke had taken he side so easily.

* * *

Hinata and Sasuke checked up quickly on Maruu to see if she was still fine- she was- before finding their way to the Kage Tower. Sasuke walked in without knocking while she followed behind him, apologising for her best friends bashness. What had come over him so soon?

"Good afternoon Gaara, do you have anything new for the Hide Yoriko case?" Hinata asked.

"Afternoon," he inclined his head, "Actually I have, I found out that the victim has a brother in the Village too."

"Yes we know that, we've questioned him already. Anything else?" Sasuke asked annoyed.

"You have? Perhaps a career in crime solving is the way to go, Uchiha? The Shinobi Detective!" Gaara replied firmly. Hinata had a feeling that if anyone who wasn't her, Sasuke, or Naruto addressed him like that, they would be in for a world of pain.

"Unlikely. Anything else?" Sasuke snorted.

"Not as of yet. I have my best looking into it."

"Good, because I already know who it was," Sasuke replied coolly, like he had just won a competition.

"You do?!" She and Gaara shouted.

"Why haven't you told me? Who is it? I didn't see anyone," she asked.

"It's obvious when you think about it."

Hinata only raised an eyebrow for him to continue. They had only interviewed four people so far. None of which stood out to her. The old man? Definitely not. Elise? Unlikely, though it did get Sasuke's attention for a while. She wouldn't rule her out. Tsubaki had been anything but horrible. No. And lastly was Mao-

"His brother, Mao Yoriko, obviously," Sasuke smirked.

"But... but his own brother why? I'm not sure if I quite agree with you Sasuke-kun."

"Are you sure on this?" Gaara added.

"Ninety percent give or take," Sasuke said.

"I cannot arrest someone for an accusation, Sasuke."

"When we questioned him he was sweating rather heavily and didn't seem too surprised or sad with the death of Hide. Also he doesn't have a provable alibi. And lastly, Tsubaki."

"Tsubaki? Hide's girlfriend?"

"Yes. He's in love with her and was jealous. I believe they were inseparable brothers that shared everything, so when Hide got with a kind, pretty woman, Mao felt abandoned. When Hide went to get flowers from the florists, Mao hit him in the back of the head and fled the scene."

"Oh? Interesting, indeed. Of course it will need to be proven somehow, do you have a plan?"

"Of sorts. I can find out tomorrow," Sasuke affirmed.

Gaara looked sceptical as he leaned back into his chair and thought about it. "Fine," he murmured softly, "As long as it doesn't involve violence, you have the go ahead. "

"Gaara we shouldn't skip to conclusions," Hinata spoke up, gaining both the men's attention, "Sasuke-kun, Mao also mentioned the gangs they owed money to at heir previous village. That sounds like a logical reason."

"I thought about that too. It's possible Mao simply made it up to throw the blame elsewhere to get us off his tracks. Of course I could be wrong but that's why we have to prove it first. If it turns out I'm wrong then we can resume the investigation?"

"I agree. It's worth a shot. I have seen some abnormal things before and I wouldn't rule out jealousy as a motivation for murder," Gaara backed up Sasuke.

She gave up and sighed. It was worth a try, she supposed. After all, Sasuke wasn't often wrong and he had more experience than her. In that she could trust. "OK."

"Good," Gaara went back to stamping his paperwork, "After you've finished tomorrow Sasuke, please join me in my office. You too Hinata."

Sasuke nodded while she squeaked out a 'yes'.

"Dismissed."

* * *

 **Extremely sorry about the wait but I had troubles with my computer so It may take some time for the next upload. Again sorry. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as it was so fun to write especially the start, that was great. Now Sasuke's and Hinata's relationship is growing and moving along which I'm happy about. I'd love to hear from you, reviews really help, even simple ones. You can even suggest plot points and ideas which I take into account.**

 **~UE**


	16. Caught

Mao knocked on Tsubaki's door and waited all but two seconds before the woman appeared looking broken and dishevelled with dark circles around her eyes and thick, warm clothing on. Sasuke watched- out of sight- as they stared at each other sharing their misery, and for a moment Sasuke could've believed that Mao hadn't murdered his own brother. Sasuke had sort of hoped he was wrong, that brothers so close could never betray each other so easily, but then who was he to talk. He had killed Itachi, and even if he did hate himself after he had found out the truth, it still didn't change the fact he had done it. Tsubaki broke down in tears (probably not for the first time that day) in front of Mao and launched herself at his chest, burying her face into him. Sasuke's mouth twisted into a look of disgust. After a while of Mao consoling Tsubaki, she invited him in from what Sasuke could gather.

Time to move up.

Putting one foot in front of the other, Sasuke made it to the back garden of her house and preformed a simple jutsu allowing sound to carry easier and just listened carefully.

"It's not your fault, Tsubaki! You said he died buying you flowers. That says it all doesn't it? He loved you 'till the end and would have wanted you to be as happy as ever," Mao offered.

Through the window Sasuke could see Tsubaki sniffling intermittently, wiping her tears into a tissue, while she nodded along to what the brother of her Hide said to her. It seemed to cheer her up a little and she replied back, "Thanks… I'm sorry, I know he was your family too, and I'm being unfair. How have you been?"

"Oh... coping you know. Going through all my old memories of me and him being pains in the ass as kids," Mao chuckled lightly, "But I'm not worried about me, I'm just here for you. I know how much you loved Hide, Tsubaki."

Tsubaki just smiled sweetly, looking down at her feet which were wrapped up in, what seemed like, fifteen layers of socks and slippers.

"Have you been eating well?" Mao asked, touching her upper arm softly.

"I just make whatever, whenever I feel like it- which isn't often if that's what you're asking."

Mao smiled at her. "Then I tell you what, I'll put on a meal for us- something hot and tasty to honour Hide's life. If you'd let me of course?"

She smiled back at him, giving him a short hug, "That'd be great, thanks. Maybe after we can visit... him, with some flowers, just like he was going to do for me?" she said weakly.

"Good idea," he nodded, as he got up to make his way to the kitchen.

It wasn't long before Sasuke started smelling a pleasant smell that reminded him of his own lunch. He turned back from the widow and sat down; taking out the small pouch his food was in. It was some small sandwiches Hinata had made him that morning before he had set out, telling her he'd 'see her later after he'd solved the case'. He was grateful that he had something decent to eat on a mission for once, instead of the normal food pills to keep him going. Sasuke had been shadowing Mao over the past day, watching him go about his life almost normally as if his brother hadn't died. This only solidified Sasuke's opinion on him being the perpetrator. All that was left was to catch Mao red handed and get back to Hinata and Maruu who he wanted to see.

It was a little over three months before they had to leave The Sand and the fireworks were just before that which was something Maruu desperately wanted to see. Gaara also wanted him to see him in his office with Hinata for something he had been keeping secret for a while now. Sasuke still had no idea what it was and, to be honest, it was starting to bug him greatly. 'All the more reason to wrap this mission up,' Sasuke thought.

After finishing his small meal he stood back up looking through the window to see the two of them sitting on the couch swapping more stories and eating a steaming pasta dish. They were sitting closer than before, Sasuke noticed. He watched every minute drag on until they had finished their dinner before leaning in to get a closer look through the window.

"Thanks, Mao, I- I needed that," Tsubaki whispered, "You've been so kind to me."

"I'm just doing what's right, Tsubaki," Mao responded.

"Still-"

"There's no 'still' about it," he interrupted.

Tsubaki smiled at him and Sasuke could see small tears starting to form under her eyes, though she refused to let them fall yet again. She moved closer to Mao and pulled him in for hug and for a while they sat like that.

Everything seemed normal- until it wasn't.

Mao was playing dirty. Attempting to seduce an emotionally unstable Tsubaki. Disrespecting his brother's wish; a sore loser who couldn't get what he wanted. Sasuke watched as he ran his dirty fingers along her cheek and into her blonde hair which he then caressed. His other hand rested on her thigh, pulling her towards him like a hungry animal. He grinned like a Hyena and leaned in to plant a kiss on her jawline. It was hard to watch but he still hadn't confirmed the proof he needed. However much Sasuke wanted to stop the scene that was playing out, he had to hold on for a little longer for Tsubaki's sake.

At Mao's hot breath on her ear, Tsubaki finally came around to what was happening after that recently calm moment where she had finally been… not happy, but not completely miserable. With a swift reaction, she pushed him away with her palm and slapped him square on the cheek. She looked on the verge of tears infused with endless rage. A scary sight indeed.

"What do you think you're doing, Mao?!" she demanded. Sasuke got ready to intervene at any moment, choosing the optimal position of entry and mapping out the layout of the house.

Mao, who still looked slightly stunned, rubbed his cheek gently and looked at his hand in disbelief.

"But… but, I-I l-love you, Tsubaki. Please be with me. I can make you happy, do anything for you. I know losing Hide was bad but we can make it work, I promise!" Mao whimpered desperately, trying anything to get through to the woman in front of him.

"Are you insane!? I just lost the love of my life, and you think you can try to seduce and confess your love for me?" she screamed in retaliation, "Who do you think you are?"

"Don't you see, I love you? Hide never loved you as much as I do. We can be the perfect couple. Husband and Wife," Mao suggested. Even Sasuke was having trouble watching this pathetic attempt at a love confession.

"What?" Tsubaki recoiled in disbelief, "I will never be with you, Mao. I only loved one man and that was Hide. Leave this matter be and get out of my home NOW!"

Mao's facial expression went from one of misery and desperation to that of anger and evilness.

"You _will_ love me!" Mao shouted, "It should have been me and you, not Hide. He got in the way of our happiness. Now come to me."

"Get away from me you freak! You've gone mad this isn't you."

Sasuke didn't think it was possible for Mao's face to become even more enraged. "FREAK AM I?! How dare you, bitch!"

"Get away from me or I'll scream for help. You need to calm down."

"Oh you won't be screaming for help. Not ever," Mao said calmly as he picked up a lamp and smashed it on the table next to him. It shattered into pieces leaving the lamp, and broken shards still attached to it, in his hand.

"Any last words?" he said grinning, "If I can't have you then no one can."

"Mao- M-Mao, what are you doing? Put that down, it's dangerous. We can talk this out," Tsubaki bartered.

"It's too late now. Say goodbye." Mao brought the weapon up above his head and the sound of Tsubaki's screams echoed loudly through the house.

Sasuke, realising he was right all along, zoomed round the corner and ran through the front door in a blink of an eye. A heartbeat. Within seconds he had Mao knocked onto the ground groaning in excruciating pain. He may have gone a little overboard, but it was what the murderer deserved.

Sasuke turned finding Tsubaki still screaming and staring at the weapon that now lay on the floor, harmless. He crouched down to her level and shook her shoulder.

"Hey! Hey!" he repeated till he got her attention, or a bit of it at least, "He can't hurt you anymore, it's fine, you're OK."

She restarted her crying and hugged him out of desperation for help. Normally he would of objected but now wasn't the time. Tsubaki thanked him about what seemed like a thousand times before she let him go and he instantly rose back to his full height.

"What h-happened? It all happened just so f-fast," she said through sobs.

"I came here to confirm a suspicion I thought might be true. Turns out I was correct. I'm afraid you got caught up in it, Tsubaki," he said to her.

"W-What suspicion?"

"I believe that Mao murdered his brother, Hide, out of spite and jealousy for you," he confessed.

"M-Mao m-murdered my H-Hide? No, surely it can't be!"

"Well believe it, darling. Hide didn't deserve you. He needed to die so I could show you real love!" Mao coughed out behind him. That was the proof Sasuke had needed.

"Thank you for your confession, Mao. You're disgusting, and that's saying something coming from trash like me. I hope you don't enjoy yourself in prison for the rest of time," Sasuke said back. Spinning on his Sharingan, Sasuke caught Mao in a genjutsu where he fell asleep so that Sasuke could take him to the Anbu without any faults.

"I-I can't believe it!" Tsubaki sobbed.

"I'm sorry," he said from deep down. He didn't often do that. "I know how you must feel right now, believe me, but you will get through it, I promise. Do you need anything before I go?"

"N-No, I just want someone to talk to, to be honest."

Hinata. "I know just the person."

* * *

After escorting Tsubaki back to his hotel where she sat down with Hinata, Sasuke shot back off towards the Kazekage tower to meet up with Gaara. I didn't take him long to reach the top where Gaara was waiting sat around a mysterious box.

"Ah, Sasuke, thank you for coming. You did a fine job today and I'd like to personally thank you. Thanks to you our streets are safe again, and a horrible person is behind bars. It still shocks me that the victim's brother could have done something do terrible. I can only imagine what Tsubaki must be going through," Gaara told him, reclining in his seat.

"Tsubaki's doing as best she can. I took her to our hotel room because she wanted someone to talk with and I thought Hinata would be the best person for the job. She cares about everyone. Of course that means she can't make it to our appointment now, where you supposed to be… what exactly?"

"Yes I agree- that was probably the best thing for now. As for our meeting, I wanted to show you this," Gaara said pointing at the grey box in front of him. Examining it closer, Sasuke could see it had a black sort of screen on the front with buttons on it. Underneath, laid a board with every letter of the Japanese alphabet on it, including numbers. Next to that was a round sort of object connected into the grey box.

Sasuke shrugged under Itachi's cloak, stumped. "What is it then, Gaara? It better be important."

"Oh it's important alright," he bit back, "Say hello to the greatest scientific breakthrough man has ever seen. The Computer."

Sasuke shrugged again, still not understanding. From Gaara's flashy introduction it at least seemed reasonable he would be called to the Kage tower for it. "What's it for? It looks like a grey box to me."

"Do you send letters, Sasuke?" Gaara paused to allow Sasuke to nod. After he did, he carried on. "Well with this, you no longer have to. With a few buttons and clicks, I can see and hear any one I wish to call as long as they have one too."

Sasuke was beginning to realise what all the fuss was about. "Has it been tested?"

"That's what we're for now. Kakashi Hatake is waiting for us to call him now." Sasuke raised his eyebrow as he watched Gaara press a button which seemed to light the screen up, before using the 'Keyboard' and 'Mouse pad' (that was what he was told they were called) to start the call with his Sensei.

Seconds later, the impossible became possible. On the screen, a not-so-perfect image of a spiky, grey haired man popped up into view mirroring Gaara's smile.

Kakashi waved somewhat slowly before showing the second feature of the 'Computer'. "Hello, can you hear me?"

Sasuke moved next to Gaara and looked into the screen. "Impressive," he finally said.

"Hello, Kakashi. Hear you loud and clear, what about your end?" Gaara replied back, sounding like he was talking to a child: slowly and pronouncing every syllable perfectly.

It took a second for Kakashi to respond but he confirmed it was all well on his end too. They talked a while about the potential of the Computer before finally slowing down.

"So has everything been going well?" Kakashi asked.

"Everything is fine at The Sand. Just today Sasuke put a murderer behind bars. He and Hinata are most welcome at Sunagakure," Gaara explained, putting a smile on Kakashi's face- or under his mask at least.

"Good work, Sasuke. I'm glad you're doing well. Keep up the job. How's Hinata's training coming along?"

Happy to be able to finally talk- and about how proud he was of Hinata so far- Sasuke said, "Her training is coming along well. She excels in ninjutsu and swordsmanship and she's even made the style her own, adding the Hyῡga clan's tijutsu to the mix."

Kakashi seemed just as impressed as Sasuke hoped he would. "Excellent. I'm sure her Father will be extremely glad."

"And with the firework show coming up, it should be a good few months in the future I assume," Gaara added. Sasuke agreed with him.

"Ah, this brings me to my next point. Naruto wants to come down and see you Gaara after he finishes a mission nearby when the Firework show is on. He should make in just in time," Kakashi revealed, causing Sasuke to go into momentary shock. Maybe he didn't agree with Gaara's previous statement.

"Will Sakura be with him?" he asked discreetly.

"Not that I'm aware of." Phew!

"Well then that would tie up my whole year. I haven't seen him in ages, it'll be nice to catch up with Naruto," Gaara exclaimed. Sasuke hummed in concern.

"Well it seems this call has been successful beyond belief. We've been speaking for half an hour now, Kazekage."

"Indeed, Hokage. Shall we wrap this up and speak with the other Kage's again soon?"

"Yes, I think so. Right then, good job again Sasuke. Tell Hinata I'm proud of her and I hope to see you back here in your home soon. See you soon, Gaara," Kakashi finished on a high note.

"Speak to you soon, Kakashi," Gaara replied back, and just as easy as it started, the call ended and the Computer screen went back to black.

It was silent for the first time in a while until Gaara broke through it. "That test was extremely successful it seems. How did you find it?"

"It's very intriguing," he replied, earning a hum in agreement.

"Oh I forgot to say; next week there will be a free day so you can do whatever you please. There's not much to do in a desert but maybe you can take Maruu out to do something?" Gaara added.

"I'll do that." And with that, Sasuke left Gaara to his devices and headed back towards his hotel room.

He opened the door roughly and sat down on the one seater. He exhaled sharply and rested his head back. It looked as though Tsubaki had left a while ago, satisfied with her conversation with Hinata, who was also M.I.A. He got up reluctantly and entered their shared bedroom. Hinata was asleep, breathing softly. He hid a smile even though she couldn't see it anyway. He removed his cloak and stepped into the bed rolling onto his side. The last thing he saw was his shirt- Uchiha fan and all- on Hinata's sleeping frame.

* * *

 **Massive shout out to all my supporters for sticking with this fanfiction. I know the chapter is extremely late and short but I've had a lot to do. My computer is finally fixed so I should be able to start uploading every two weeks or so. Also I am thinking about rewriting Chapter One to bring it up to standard with the rest of the story soon, so look out for that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, the next one will be longer and have a surprise at the end. Thank you all, review and favourite. Suggestions always welcome.**

 **~UE**


	17. Sole Relative

**"First off I'd like to thank everyone as usual for sticking with me as I know I'm not the most frequent updater but that's just my fault, and secondly, I noticed that Sasuke was turning more OOC but I'd like to clear up that this is what I believe would happen eventually after being able to share his feelings with Hinata, someone he trusts, and not end up like the stoic, never there father he is in the anime. Although it may at often times suit him, this is my take on his character so I hope you can understand.**

 **As I don't often update I'd like to speed up the story somewhat as it's kind of boring for me to write our companions in one Village for ages while I have great future ideas for the story and just want to get to that part more, so the Sand will probably finish in around three or four chapters in which then I will go to a different OC Village where the romance will actually start taking place as I know this fic is an incredibly slow burner. 16 chapters and best friends?! Really me? Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter as this one was gripping to write and I felt I had to do this to stop holding my story back. Also, I'd like to point out- for the first time oops- that I do not own Naruto or it's characters except my OC's. Bye.**

* * *

It was a bright, sunny morning when he ceremoniously decided to take a walk before he had to go off to work. He often dreaded having to teach basic ninjutsu to academy level students so a walk in the morning was a must most days. It was seven o'clock when he had set off and it was now currently half eight. It was coming up on the start on his shift. 'Another day in at Stone,' he sighed. The man veered to his left and headed back towards his empty house to get dressed in his usual attire which consisted of a full red bodysuit resting comfortably under a maroon flak jacket, such was the uniform of a Hidden Stone Jonin. With a firm pull, his forehead protector tightened around its usual spot on display for the whole village: two rocks overlapping each other. He sighed again. Sometimes he wished he had never moved. Even though the job had given him money and security, he still missed the old him. The times when he had all the time in the world.

He checked the time again- ten to nine. The academy opened at nine. Completely ignoring the door, he leapt out of the window and took off in a sprint towards the school. Iwagakure was a pretty sight but often dull at times. Once you had seen a rock, you had seen all of them. Except for the rare minerals of course, which were paraded around the village daily. As he neared the school, the man turned his attention towards the sky and was surprised to see far more clouds than there had been an hour ago. He shrugged it off to a strong wing. You didn't often feel the wind in Stone due to the bulky walls surrounding the village.

As it neared the start of his shift, the academy came into view as he was running towards it. It resembled a castle tower stretching high into the blue- no grey- sky. Smaller rooms, all with stony brick walls, were clinging on to the sides of the main tower as extra classrooms and storage areas. On the very tip of the tower flew a red flag with the same two stones on it that his forehead showed off. He was thankful the Tsuchikage had taken him in all those years ago but he still didn't feel like he had settled in properly. He had talked about it with many of his fellow ninjas, but they all often never understood him. To be fair, he didn't understand himself either. It was just as if something important was missing. Like when you leave something behind or at least you believe you do.

As he approached the gates, the man spotted a worn piece of parchment nailed to them. The corners were all curled inwards and it looked fairly old. He would've dismissed it but then the small, blotchy, ink writing on it caught his eye with fascination. That was until he read it all. 'Searching for any relatives around the elemental nations who are related to either: Maruu Sintary, Lucy Sintary- Maiden name Katski, or Arima Sintary. Please contact the Mizukage or Kazekage immediately.'

That was when the clouds blanketed the black sky and started spitting out rain that covered him in an instant. The first two names meant nothing to him, but the latter did. Arima Sintary. Without a second thought of the academy graduates, he ripped the paper free from its shackles and thundered towards the Tsuchikage's tower. The fact that it had said 'immediately' didn't fill him with confidence in the slightest. He needed to know what was going on. Just then the weather got worse as lightning struck the fields outside of the walls, and the wind could finally be felt. On his way, he spotted a fellow teacher, but he didn't stop to chat when the woman called him name asking him where he was going, there wasn't enough time.

Within minutes he found himself in front of the ancient tower which had housed many Tsuchikage's over the years. He didn't care about that though, he only wanted to talk with the current one. That was all that mattered at this point in time. Ignoring the protests of the woman standing guard outside the old man's office, he stormed in to find him hovering three foot off the ground looking out his window at the horrific weather. The man was just barely four foot tall, reaching up to his waist. He wore green robes with yellow accenting it on the lining. His short, white hair was pulled into a bun while his equally white beard and moustache hung loosely from his chin. The famed hat was resting on the man's desk.

He slammed his palm down onto the wooden desk leaving the sheet of parchment there to be read. Hearing the commotion behind him finally, the Tsuchikage- Onoki he had been requested to be called- turned around seeing him standing there not knowing what to do with himself.

Onoki tilted his head in caution, "Kura! How nice to see you again. I've not seen you since-."

"Yes, yes old man Tsuchikage. This isn't the time I'm afraid," he interrupted, before pointing at the sheet, "I found this plastered to the gates of my academy. I need to know what to do next. Please!"

Onoki raised an eyebrow and frowned, "Of course, my boy."

Kuro stood waiting impatiently while he read the short sentence.

Finally, the man spoke. "Sintary. Arima Sintary. Your brother correct?"

Kuro let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. So he hadn't read it wrong after all. This was bad, he could feel it. "Yes. I haven't heard of the other two but I'd know my brother anywhere. It says please contact the Mizukage so it must be him. We lived there before I came to Iwagakure for my training. I haven't seen him in almost twenty years."

"Indeed. This is troubling, Kuro," Onoki said, scratching his beard.

"Will you allow me to leave so I can speak to the Mizukage, Onoki?" Kura asked. He didn't have any better ideas.

"No."

His throat ran dry at the sound of that short word, "What? Why?!"

"Calm down, Kuro, I can explain," Onoki gestured frantically with his hands, "There's no need. I can contact her now."

"By letter? That'll still take too long."

"No, not by letter. It just came two days ago. It's a new scientific breakthrough they say. Allow me to speak to her with this now. It will be quicker and we can find out some answers about what happened to your brother, Arima, and who these other two are."

* * *

Sasuke rolled his neck in a circular motion getting the creaks out from his overly long nap. It clicked multiple times. The past week had been weary work- easy but tiring. Fixing peoples and buildings problems was no small task Sasuke had worked out. A silver lining was that he had the day off to take Maruu and Hinata out, who, thankfully, was still asleep in bed next to him. In all honesty, he still hadn't gotten used to being so close to her while they were both so vulnerable. It made him anxious but also incredibly happy. She had stopped wearing his discarded tops to bed since being caught twice and being embarrassed beyond reason which made Sasuke somewhat sad as he apparently enjoyed seeing her in his shirts. Thinking about it now he couldn't think of anyone who he'd let wear his shirt, it felt unnecessary and made him feel uneasy, but when she wore it, it seemed that everything slotted perfectly into place. He allowed himself to lean back into his pillow to rest his eyes for a few more minutes. Although he was used to getting up at the slightest noise without complaint, it seemed like a wasted opportunity if he left Hinata's presence so early.

With his eyes closed, he started to conjure an image in his mind. He didn't quite know what he was thinking yet but he allowed himself to carry on. Warm, milky skin filled his vision of what seemed like an inviting neck. He had the urge to move closer like a vampire would in their situation. A blanket of purple hair fell into his view covering the pale neck that he was previously looking at. Slender fingers raked through the dark hair making sure to carefully comb each strand into place, even though it was already perfect. Suddenly, the figure plaguing his mind turned ever so slightly and he found himself staring at the moon itself. At that moment he realised who he had been dreaming of; of course. His growing childish grin turned grim in an instant as his vision shifted to a calloused hand laying on her knee. A familiar blonde rose up from his crouched position and placed his other hand on the side of her cheek as he slowly lent in. Sasuke was powerless to watch as his previous lust turned into a blind rage without him noticing it himself. Then his dream- or was it? He couldn't remember anymore- turned even worse. The Akatsuki, Tobi, Madara, Itachi, His murdered clan, Endless betrayals piercing his chest like his own sword once did.

"Sasuke-Kun! Sasuke-Kun!" a voice cried from somewhere. His vision then suddenly bathed him in light before dimming again. He sought out the source for hours, spinning in circles forever, before finally laying eyes on the small hairline fracture of light. The dark-haired, milky skinned, beauty was staring at him into his soul.

"SASUKE!"

His eyes snapped open with great resistance. He surveyed where he was and quickly remembered what had happened. Something like that had never happened before to him and he knew, that without Her, he would never have gotten out of that nightmare.

"Are you okay, Sasuke?" his companion asked I a terrified tone, "You were shuddering and deathly cold, I thought something terrible had happened, I almost ran to grab Gaara-san."

He waited a few seconds before replying so that he could find his voice, "An uh, a nightmare. Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it?" Hinata judged, "You looked like you were amidst fighting Madara! Please tell me what it was and I can help, you're my best friend remember? We don't lie to each other."

Sasuke suddenly felt horrible lying to her. She was right after all. He wouldn't lie to Naruto, as much as he was annoyed at the said person at the moment for interrupting his dream. In the end, he told her the truth leaving out a few details. He couldn't possibly tell her he had been dreaming of her. He wasn't ready to mess up their current relationship. "I was thinking of when Madara... killed me, and how my clan would blame me for my endless betrayals of everyone I've ever known. Thanks for waking me up, I mean it." He spun to the side and sat on the edge of the bed leaning his head into his cupped hands trying to forget the stress.

The stress that was instantly forgotten when he felt arms encircle him from behind and hug him. He saw her legs rest next to his so that she was essentially hugging his shirtless back. He felt himself leaning into her welcome embrace.

"I remember seeing you when Madara took your weapon and... I remember feeling hopeless like I had just lost someone special to me even back when we didn't know each other. I was so happy seeing both you and Naruto-Kun back and stronger than ever, we could've never won if it wasn't for you, you know that," her voice was like velvet and she smelt of lavender flowers, "As for your clan- your family- they would never blame you. You lost your way, yes, but you did because you had no way of knowing what had really happened. I don't want to ever hear that you believe your own blood would condemn you. Plus you never betrayed anyone, even from the village, we all knew you'd come back to us, to me. We never lost faith, not really." She hugged him tighter when she had said 'To me' and it made him feel something he hadn't felt for a long time.

He felt himself crack a small smile and he covered her hands with his, turning his head slightly to look at her, " Yes ma'am".

Once Maruu had woken up, Hinata moved to get changed and make a small breakfast. She was reeling from this morning as she couldn't stop remembering vividly Sasuke shaking violently for the first time she had been with him. She was starting to believe he hadn't told her the whole truth but she couldn't exactly force him to open up even to her as he needed to do it in his own time. Still, the revelation that Sasuke felt he had disappointed his family and regularly thought of Madara, who terrified Hinata, was surprising to her. Her actions of hugging him tightly in a comforting embrace felt right at that point in time and she wouldn't forget it anytime soon to her embarrassment.

"Sasuke-Kun, you said you had a free day today didn't you?" she asked the rhetorical question.

He turned to look at her, his raven bangs covering his hypnotising eyes as he answered her with a small tilt of his head confirming her question.

"Really?" Maruu perked up, "Can we all do something? It gets boring sitting in a hotel room all the time ya know."

Hinata smiled. "Of course. Any ideas?"

"I heard the hot springs here are the best due to the hot weather, maybe we could try that?" Maruu suggested matter-of-factly, "Then after we can take a walk and go get some food."

Sasuke looked at her for her blessing which made her heart flutter in her chest and made her feel a vital part of his life which pleased her massively. She, in return, tilted her head back at him to which he smirked at her copying him. She returned his smirk.

"I wouldn't mind relaxing in the springs, I haven't been in one since before the war in Leaf," Hinata mentioned.

"I've never tried it so I'm fine with it, Maruu, though we'll need some water clothing," Sasuke said.

Half an hour later, after buying themselves the required clothing, they made their way to the family-friendly hot springs where the pools were larger and quieter.

Hinata stared down at herself self-consciously as she contemplated killing herself for a moment. She happened to be wearing a two-piece, lavender bikini that, under normal circumstances, she never would have bought for herself, let alone worn in her life. Unfortunately for her, Suna, due to its hot weather only sold two pieces for women her age and above. Maruu had managed to get off scot-free with a black bathing suit due to her age. Hinata would've given anything to wear something like that, but happened to be slightly too big for the fit. Why did the Sage hate her so? After looking for a while though, she happened to forget her embarrassment and looked at herself with pride. Her training sessions with Sasuke had paid off not only for combat but also looks. Her usual pale stomach was now toned and flat, accenting her curves to the point that Hinata actually liked.

Finishing her check-up, she and Maruu walked out of the female changing rooms and into the hot spring enclosure. The place was surrounded by walls on each side but had no roof which gave you a great sky view to make relaxing even easier, and the pool was broken in to many different sized individual pools some housing two to ten people, all of which seemed to be families with kids or adults trying to relax by themselves. While walking, out of the corner of her eye, she happened to see various men glance at her and she regrettably switched back to her shy persona of which she usually used. Wanting nothing more than to hide her body she grabbed Maruu's hand and made her way over to wherever Sasuke was.

As it turned out, it was far easier to spot Sasuke that she had originally thought due to him wearing simple black swim shorts that Sasuke obviously pulled off with ease. He was a model among the people in the hot springs. His shorts gave away to a toned stomach that she knew he worked on almost all the time. Sasuke was now undeniably good-looking in her eyes which was a new sensation for her and she felt she had to suppress it. Best Friend. Everyone, mostly the women, was giving him fleeting looks just as she had been getting and she suddenly realised she was joining those women.

Feeling a light tug at her hand, she unclasped Maruu's palm so that she could join Sasuke in the water. She fist bumped him, which was so cute in Hinata's opinion, and smiled at her. He said something to Maruu she couldn't make out from her distance before quickly averting her gaze as soon as Maruu pointed towards her.

Sasuke was looking right at her and suddenly she was frozen to the spot wanting to run and hide, that was until she found her confidence in him as he held no negative judgements in his eyes while he winked at her. With renewed vigour, she made her way over to her best friend and sunk in next to him.

Immediately, she felt the hot, but cool water seep into her aching bones and she realised she had needed this for a while now. She hadn't had a relaxing day since Sage knows when, and she could already feel the blistering sun tanning her pale complexion.

"I see you're enjoying the water too," Sasuke said.

"I told you both it was great," Maruu reminded them.

"I guess you were right, Maruu. I've not been in a hot spring since before the war in Konaha," she wondered why she hadn't done it sooner with the girls after the war.

"I've never even been in one before, but it's a pleasant experience," Sasuke shared, surprising them both. He truly had missed out on a lot after leaving the Village.

"I'm still not so sure about this bikini though. I'm not used to this type of clothing."

"I think you look amazing, it really suits you, Hinata," Maruu said in her usual spontaneous tone. Hinata looked over towards Sasuke who was seemingly staring at her with a look of adoration. When he caught her eye suddenly though, he swiftly turned his gaze towards the wall, and Hinata, while not sure, wondered if she could see a slight redness of his cheeks. 'It must just be the heat,' she thought to herself.

With that, Hinata lounged further into the perfect water and tried to get some relaxation for a couple of hours.

* * *

Gaara was broken out of his thoughts by a crude and evidently annoying dial tone behind him. He sighed and swivelled around in his chair, carefully placing the Kazekage hat on his desk out of view. He grabbed the mouse and wiggled it slightly before a black screen gave away to a small white box with the words 'Mizukage Calling...'. He wondered what only one of the Kage's was doing calling him out of the blue before moving to click the 'answer' button in green below. The white box then enlarged to fit the wide screen display and on it was what seemed like an image of Mei in her usual deep blue dress with her brown long hair taking up much of the background; only it wasn't an image and she happened to be clutching a tissue in her hand to wipe away the visible tear stains on her red cheeks. Like any normal person in his situation, Gaara asked what was the problem.

"I'm sorry to look so unprofessional right now Gaara, it's just...," Mei paused for a second before getting the go-ahead from Gaara in the form of a nod, "I've just gotten off a recent call with the Tsuchikage. He's... He's just informed me that the posters I sent out to each Village have born fruit. A Jonin in his ninja ranks happens to be the brother of Maruu's Father: Arima Sintary."

Gaara was shocked to say the least and was momentarily stunned. On one had it was great that Maruu had surviving relatives, but on the other, she would have to leave Hinata and Sasuke and be told that she wasn't alone which may break her. Gaara had no way of knowing.

"The man- Kuro Sintary- moved to Iwa years ago leaving his brother at Kiri where, as you know, he settled down with Lucy Sintary," Mei continued, "According to Kuro, he has no surviving parents or any other Siblings and my records show that Lucy was an only child with no parents either. That, of course, makes Kuro the only relative Maruu has remaining- her Uncle- which is... great."

Gaara sensed in her voice the dilemma that was troubling him.

"So what do we do?" he asked.

"I believe there's only one thing to do. When I allowed Hinata and Sasuke to take Maruu as essentially an adoptive daughter, I told Hinata that if a relative was found then she would have to be handed over as is the law. Of course, we will have to tell Maruu, but I have a plan about letting her settle into the news."

"Oh?"

"I asked Onoki to send Kuro to the Sand- he should be there in a few days- where he will meet with Maruu and they, along with Sasuke and Hinata, will get to know each other to make Maruu more comfortable with the transition. They could stay until the Fireworks where Maruu could then decide what she wants for herself. It will also take into account whether Sasuke and Hinata can cope with Maruu if she decides to stay," Mei said, "You will also have to tell them all today about this revelation and pray that Maruu takes it well."

"Of course, though I can't promise she'll be co-operative."

"That's fine as long as you tell her."

"Yes," Gaara finished, "May Maruu's suffering finally come to an end."

"Indeed," Mei agreed. With another click, the video switched off and Gaara was left alone in his thoughts once again, only he didn't quite want to be alone.

* * *

Sasuke watched as Maruu and Hinata admired their new jewellery he had bought for them both. After finishing up their leisurely stroll through the Village, which happened to be pretty eye-opening despite some residents still shouting occasional verbal abuse at him, he had been directed to a jewellery shop where he was forced to watch them both pick something out. Well, Maruu didn't mind using his Ryo but Hinata said he didn't have to, to which he disagreed and told her to pick whatever she wanted as a thank you. Seriously, it was the least he could do, as he felt he could never repay her kindness when he didn't deserve it. He stopped that train of thought abruptly due to Hinata's warning that morning.

Maruu had bought a second bracelet that accented her mothers one. It was a silver chain which had pieces hanging from it all the way around shaped as things from kunais to sandcastles. It was apparently pretty as both girls had been repeating it all the way through the store.

Hinata, on the other hand, had been bought a necklace made from a black string which held, on the end of it, a piece of apparent "moonstone" as the shopkeeper told him. The colour of it suited Hinata well though as it was a space grey mixed with a slight tinge of lavender. According to the description, whoever wore it would have an eternal beauty which, again, suited Hinata exceptionally. Plucking open the box she stared, wide-eyed, at the expensive piece of jewellery.

"Wow," Maruu and Hinata said breathlessly despite having just seen it.

"Sasuke-Kun, are you sure about this? It was awfully expensive and I'm not sure I deserve it," she said nervously.

Sasuke found himself do a U-turn in his mind. "Don't deserve it? If anyone deserves it, it's you." And with that said he lifted the necklace out of its comfy box and went to Hinata's neck.

"Move your hair, Hyuga," he said.

"Uh, o-ok," she stuttered with a blush. She moved her hair so that it was all on one side revealing her neck that brought back pleasant and unpleasant memories. One thing was for sure though, his dream hadn't done her right. The real thing was unparalleled.

He held the necklace either side of her neck before clasping it together and letting it fall into its natural place. He turned her around as she let her hair fall back again and he could definitely say this time that it suited her.

"Thank you, Sasuke-Kun," she said, lifting up the moonstone to take a closer look at it, "It's beautiful." Sasuke fought a mental battle to add to her comment.

"Can we get something to eat now?" Maruu asked.

"Let's."

Ten minutes of wandering around later, Sasuke stumbled upon the realisation that the best restaurant was still the one that employed Elise, his newest addition to his fangirl club. Begrudgingly, he told Hinata and, with equal chagrin, they agreed to go as to satisfy their growing hungry stomachs and Maruu.

They were quickly directed to a three seater table where they all sat down and ordered their own favourite meal. Thankfully, their current waiter was not one of his fangirls and was also not a girl so Sasuke had nothing to worry about. He did, however, happen to see Elise waiting on another table for a family of six which pleased him greatly.

"You both grew up in the Hidden Leaf Village, right?" Maruu asked while they were waiting for their food. They both nodded. "What did you used to do for fun?"

"Why do you ask?" Sasuke said.

"I never did much in the mist due to being out with Mother for most of my life, but your lives sound magical so I wanted to know what you both did." This then started off a storytelling from Hinata and unfortunately him. He would have to make one up or choose one of his earliest memories he could think of.

Hinata shared how she and the other Konoha girls often went shopping for flowers or clothes, as well as go to the Leaf's very own hot springs to relax and sunbathe. She also liked to do her favourite hobby with her Mother when she was younger: flower pressing. Then, which was the cause of Sasuke's annoyance, she told them about how her Father often disregarded her as a potential heir as she was too compassionate and not as strong as he would have liked her to be, which Hinata believed would genuinely get disowned. Sasuke swore silently to himself that if that was to happen, be it by him or anyone else, he would deal with it. Hinata deserved more than that.

When it came to his turn, in the end, he didn't lie but chose a nice memory from when Itachi was still alive and most definitely his brother. He could tell by the look on Hinata's face that she was worried about what he was going to tell Maruu.

"My favourite memory is from when I was young, probably around your age," he nodded to Maruu, "My brother, Itachi, was preparing for a mission when I forced him to take me with him as I felt I could help, he eventually relented and I brang my bow and arrow. Back then it was my favourite weapon. I hadn't quite gotten the hang of it then, although my younger self would disagree. Anyway, we were tasked hunting down a boar which happened to be rather enraged for some reason I can't quite remember. In the end, Itachi told me to, not kill the boar, but frighten it so that it would peacefully return to the mountains. Of course, I ended up completely missing which ended up with me being thrown to the ground by the boar. I then witnessed my brother take it down, keep in mind it was rather large, in an instant. He told me that I had missed and that I needed training."

He stopped for a second remembering the mix of pride for his brother and the shame he felt for himself. Then he smiled slightly, warming up the conversation.

"That was when he told me he'd help with my training. And from then on I was trained almost regularly by Itachi. After that session, when our Mother and Father had left, we moved a bed from our rooms to outside so that we could watch the stars go by. That was one of the best days of my life. It went downhill from there mostly," he finished up. He looked up to see both of them smiling at him.

In the end, he shared something even more special to him. He felt that Hinata had earned it. "Itachi used to beckon me forward all the time when he had to go do something else. Me being naive, ran towards him only to get a poke on the forehead. At the time it hurt, but it became a trademark of his. It was the last thing he ever gave me before he left." He dropped his head in defeat almost. Hinata then grabbed his hand under the table and they sat there in companionable silence for the rest of the night.

At least that was what he thought was going to happen...

"Sasuke, Hinata, Maruu," a recognisable voice said beside them, "I bring news."

"Gaara?" Hinata questioned.

"We've located a relative of Maruu's," Gaara turned to address a stunned Maruu, "Your Uncle has been found..."


	18. Night watch FILLER

**FILLER**

 **This doesn't contribute to the story but is merely a quick chapter to add while chapter one is redone. Although I'm sure a lot of you wouldn't mind this to actually happen.**

* * *

Stunning.

Hinata was the epitome of perfection in his eyes. His eyes that he couldn't seem to remove from her. However, it was a different kind of beauty she possessed. It was her modest attitude that physically and mentally attracted him; made him curious. He liked the way she never flaunted herself to anyone. Though this was mainly because she was perpetually shy. He liked how she would attempt to conceal every inch of skin possible, only available to herself and him in those fortunate situations. The only eyes worthy of seeing her... were _his_ eyes.

Every time she laid on her side, in their shared king size bed, facing him in her sleep, he would steal the opportunity to appreciate her model-worthy figure... Everything about her. The way her dark tinted hair clung, brushing against her tenderly-arched brows, draping intricately over her creamy shoulders and down the unseen part of her delicately curved back. It was like gazing into a supernova. He would never grow tired of it. Though he may have to one day in the future when they part ways.

The way her shaded, long eyelashes curved like a bridge to bring out her eyes her eyes as if it was a golden painting frame trying to stand out in a famous art gallery. It compelled him to stroke the velvety surface of her pale skin. Even to merely hover his hand above her skin would be a blessing. Holding her hand was like a miracle everytime, but it was nothing compared to what he was seeing at this moment of his life.

Her lips... the most kissable lips he had ever seen- even without the lipstick that so many of his fangirls used to seduce him- in truth, the only pair he deemed kissable. They were satin-soft, the colour resembling that of Lilac, which also happened to share the same beautiful smell with her. The corners of her mouth would often spread, gracing everyone she looked at with a heart-warming smile, reminding so much of his late, caring Mother. They were genuine at all times to those they deemed worthy.

And if she ever grew nervous about his curious, observing eyes, she would wet them with a swift swipe of her pink tongue, the colour rising to her cheeks. But that only made him want to kiss her all the more, to devour those tempting lips and plunge his tongue into her sweet mouth that most likely tasted better than any food he had ever tried. He wanted to so badly. He was an Uchiha. The infamous clan which took anything it wanted. Yet he couldn't as she was beyond special to him. Of, how exactly did he fall victim to her innocent charm so easily?

The first time these gut-wrenching, funny- and not in an amusing way- feelings sprouted within his cold chest, he was convinced she must have cast a powerful genjutsu on him. A very advanced genjutsu that he had never previously-experienced or learned in all his years. Of course, she was clueless that she had won his heart without even trying. He couldn't blame her though as he had never confronted her.

"Sa- Sasuke-Kun?"

Who turned up the heat? She did, of course. With that damned cute voice of hers. Each syllable she gave life to, each one made his ears ring. Each one made his heart he long ago thought dead, to beat rapidly in his chest once again. Each one making him shiver like she was whispering it directly into his ear from just centimetres away. Each one was beautifully arousing- and that was not a word he used lightly, or often- just like the rest of her.

Sasuke cleared his throat and responded with a grunt.

"You're not t-tired?" she asked.

'Curse her cuteness', he thought.

"S- Sasuke?" she tried again.

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired," he said, voice barely a whisper.

"...D-Did you get any s-sleep at all?"

 _Damn, she's so cute when she stutters._ From the moment he first met her she stuttered and she still did up to this exact moment.

"Not yet, but I'm going to," he answered.

"B- But, it's already morning."

"What?" his eyes widened, "No it's not, the sun..." His gaze switched from her to the windows, a golden ray of sunshine was already filtering through making the morning known to everyone watching. "...Is rising?" He finished in an upset tone. The raven-haired Uchiha was irked. He'd done it again. This was the third time he had been lost in his thoughts of the girl in front of him instead of doing what everyone else in all the elemental nations was doing: Sleeping. How the hell did time pass so quickly?

"That's the third time now," she mentioned and proceded to give advice. "Maybe it would be better if you got some sleep next time."

'This is your fault,' he so badly wanted to say.

Lavender eyes met obsidian and they proceded to stare into each other's souls until Sasuke finally rolled onto his back and got out of bed.

'The last time,' he told himself, knowing full well it was anything but his last time.

* * *

 **I'll attempt to get chapter 19 out in two or three weeks all while fixing chapter one so stay tuned. Love all your reviews, thanks so much.**

 **NOTE: Anyone who does not like SasuHina probably should stop reading soon lest they get too offended. Just some advice :)**

 **~UE**


	19. How To: Uncle

Kuro arrived three days later at dusk. It was safe to say that everyone was feeling the pressure, but no one more than Maruu… and apparently Kuro himself. He, of course, had never even met or known he had a niece. When Kuro arrived, he quickly shot towards to the Kazekage's office where Sasuke, Hinata, and Maruu were sweating bullets waiting for the man's arrival. The tension inside the room was slowly coursing through everyone's veins, infecting their will to deal with such a messed up situation.

"He should be here any minute," Gaara remarked quietly. He was wearing his usual get-up minus the hat as he believed it was too formal. Gaara hadn't gone over what the arrangements were for Maruu's Uncle yet but Sasuke suspected they would soon get to it.

It was then that Maruu decided to have an out-of-the-blue, but not unjustified, panic attack.

"Maruu what's wrong?" Hinata asked, kneeling down to the now crying girl.

Between her sobs were the mention of her Mother and Father and how they had never told her about any relative and that she had thought they had left her to the future all alone.

Hinata pulled her into a hug and whispered, "You're not alone, Maruu. You have me and Sasuke to turn to whenever you need something. We will always be there for you, I promise. As for why they never mention your Uncle, I'm not the person to ask."

A minute later Maruu had calmed down by melting into Hinata's hug and playing with her Mother's bracelet.

The tension rose back up to its former height and Sasuke settled on watching the door for any signs of movement. Just then, he caught a new, feint chakra signature that, while not exactly the same as Maruu's', happened to feel like her. That was when he knew Kuro was close by, possibly in the building. He never was pin-point accurate with sensing like Karin.

"I sense him nearby," he said to the room. Sasuke could hear the sharp inhale of air behind him.

Suddenly, a quiet stomping noise was coming from outside as if someone was racing up the spiral staircase. It almost reminded him of when he first came up the stairs to meet Gaara- it was almost as tense then as it was now. And if Sasuke was tense then Sage knows how Kuro was feeling right at this moment.

The pounding noise stopped and the knob turned. The door was delicately pushed open and there stood the man they had been waiting for. The only man Maruu had any relation to. Sasuke, right then and there, made it his number one priority to do everything in his power to help Maruu get through this intact- hopefully, with an Uncle, she could trust.

Right away, Sasuke could see similarities. Despite wearing a greyish cloak that was given to ninja who was given a lengthy mission, Sasuke could see vaguely underneath it that the man had on a deep red ninja uniform. The man was not overly taller than himself; possibly by a couple inches. He had black, long hair that travelled to his shoulder, not unlike Maruu's, but instead of a strand of white, Kuro sported dashes of brown accenting his already dark hair. The man's eyes were blue- often a sign that he was from Kiri. His face was angular but he gave the impression he could defend himself if faced with an enemy like a poised snake. Flushed from the sprinting he had no doubt been doing for the past few days, Kuro coiled his head around the room completely disregarding Hinata but focusing on himself and on Maruu. Sasuke thought he caught a tear dripping softly from the man's eyes.

"A-Are y-you, M-Maruu?" Kuro stumbled over every word as if he was dreading the answer before he'd even heard it.

Maruu could barely hold her head up let alone speak, Sasuke could see, so she gave the smallest nod that it could have been disregarded by an untrained eye.

Kuro's breath hitched in his throat, "I-I'm not sure if you've been told, but, I am your Father's Brother- your Uncle."

"She's been made aware," Gaara spoke up, but Kuro barely shifted his gaze off of her, "As you can see, this is somewhat of a huge step."

This Kuro did take into account. "Y-yes," he nodded, still irregularly breathing, "It is for me too. I understand how she feels."

Sasuke guessed that was somewhat true. Kuro had lost his Brother and Sister (he didn't know about her, but still), and apparently his own parents judging by what Maruu had told him and Hinata. Now he had found out only a few days ago he was an Uncle to an orphaned child that had been all alone, and now he was meeting her for the first time.

"Do you!?" Hinata barked. Sasuke did a double take inside his head. He hadn't seen Hinata this defensive before. She seemed almost mad, "You left Maruu to believe she was all alone. She was petrified."

Kuro gawked at the lavender-eyed girl defending Maruu as his Niece clearly wasn't in the mood to talk. Sasuke could see the man tense up at the challenge and for a moment he thought he might snap back. Sasuke took a quick step forward as if to challenge the man.

Kuro never did. "Let me explain, please, I beg you! There's a reason why I didn't claim her or come to her sooner." Maruu raised her head fully as Kuro finished his sentence. Hinata took protective steps towards Maruu and nodded for him to continue.

"I know it's no excuse for my stupidity, but, you see, I had no Idea she had even been born. I had no idea my Brother had a wife or was even alive at all. You see, I left our birthplace of Kirigakure over twenty years ago to start a life in Iwagakure. Arima and I kept in contact for the first few months after the move but we ended up having an argument over something so petty and we broke off communication. I never heard from him again, especially not to tell me he had a Daughter."

He took a breath before continuing, "If I had of known I'd o-"his voice broke and a few tears did fall down the man's face, "I'd have visited you too see my only Niece even if he hadn't of d-died. If I'd have known you were all alone with no one you knew left, I would have come running across the nations to find you, Maruu. To have some sort of relationship with you where you would feel safe and cared for just like your parents did. I-I know you most likely hate me but l-let me get to know you even if it's for a day as I want to be part of your life and your future."

"I'm Sorry," Kuro finished.

For a moment, the whole office was quiet. Sasuke had listened to each and every word of Kuro's explanation, and while it wasn't a perfect excuse- he could have visited unannounced- the man seemed earnest and genuinely loathed himself for making the mistake of not finding out about his Niece sooner. Hinata, who had moved back to her original position, was taking it all in herself and the burning in her eyes had receded as fast as it had come. Then Sasuke's eyes rested on Maruu who looked to be fighting a battle in her eyes as she stared at her sole relative in the world.

Maruu's next words were what really shocked them all though.

"I don't hate you. I understand that you didn't know about me, but you could have visited my Father anytime even if it was for a day. But that being said, I don't want to hate the only person who has ties to my Father left. I want to get to know you too."

This brought another tear to Kuro's aqua, blue eyes as he muttered silent 'thank you's' to her and most likely every deity ever prayed for. He'd been given what he thought would be impossible: a chance to set things right. It wouldn't happen overnight or maybe even in a year, but Sasuke could see the determination in him to fix everything that had happened.

Maruu, wiping her tears from her red cheeks, ran abruptly towards Kuro and collided into his abdomen holding him as if he would slip through her fingers like air. To say that Kuro was surprised was an understatement, but he knew the girl wanted some kind of comfort and he was all but willing to give that out. Besides he might just need comforting the same or even possibly more than Maruu.

Sasuke backed away to where he previously stood and could see Hinata and Gaara simultaneously smiling at the make-or-break hug in front of them.

"Thank you for sharing that with us, Sir, I-I'm sorry I shouted at you, it wasn't fair," Hinata then apologised, causing Kuro to look up from the embrace and study her.

"I deserved it," he said, "May I ask who you are? I know him," he nodded at him, "but I've never heard of you."

"My name is Hyuuga Hinata; I've been looking after Maruu for the past few months along with my best friend, Uchiha Sasuke."

Kuro smiled an almighty smile, "Thank you so much for being with Maruu when I couldn't. It means the world to me. How can I ever re-? Wait! Hold On! Uchiha? Sasuke Uchiha! Like _the_ Sasuke Uchiha? The boy who went rogue and then went on to become an enemy to everyone in the Elemental Nations. A murderer…"

Sasuke flinched at those words.

'Murderer'

No one wanted to ever really hear those words. Especially if it was directed at you. Even if it was in the job description. He couldn't blame the man though. Right now, to him, a murderer had been in charge of his Niece- a little girl. Thankfully Kuro had covered Maruu's ears as he had called Sasuke out. She didn't have to know that.

"Kuro," Gaara's voice spoke up, "I can assure you Maruu was in great hands with Sasuke. May I remind you he was a hero of the Fourth Great Ninja War and was let off his sentence in return for 'righting his wrongs'. That had what he has been doing. Maruu is in no danger, I can assure you of that."

"It's highly unorthodox," Kuro said.

"It was me that begged the Mizukage to allow Maruu to be looked after by me and Sasuke. I couldn't bear the thought of such a young, innocent girl going to an orphanage. Despite Sasuke being known for all his wrongs, he is making an effort in patching himself up and genuinely cares for Maruu just as much as I do. We're not your enemies here, Sir."

Sasuke's heart beat faster in his chest. He had heard her praises before but never on this level. It put him at an ease he hadn't felt for years and reminded him once again that he most certainly didn't deserve Hinata. And she was correct. He had come to care for Maruu. As for what, he didn't yet know himself.

"… Call me Kuro, please," Kuro nodded and went back to awkwardly hugging Maruu who was still forcing herself as far as she would go into his embrace. Sasuke felt a wave a relief wash over him when it seemed that Kuro had accepted that Sasuke meant no harm to anyone. Hinata flashed them both a smile and the tension in the room lowered.

"I think that we should all retire to our rooms for tonight," Gaara semi-ordered, "It's late and Maruu needs some sleep. We all do after this. You four can work this out tomorrow morning however you please. But, for Maruu's sake, don't make this any harder than it needs to be."

"You can have our room for the night, Kuro," Hinata offered.

"It's fine, Hinata, I've got Mr Sintary a room in your hotel just opposite you," Gaara told them, making Kuro visibly more unburdened.

"I thought they were all sold out for the Fireworks show?" Sasuke mentioned.

"Believe it or not, the Kazekage has some leniency when it comes to his own village. It's all sorted. Goodnight," Gaara smirked while sauntering out of his office, Hinata giving him a weak 'goodnight' back.

Maruu finally released her Uncle from her death-grip and moved back over to Hinata with who she entangled her fingers with. Kuro did his best to hide that he was upset but Sasuke could read everyone and anybody.

"Well then… lead the way," he said.

* * *

Hinata picked up the three plates of food each stocked with each person's personal preference and made her way back to their table; twenty-five. The hotel restaurant was a handy thing to have next to the lobby even if the rooms had their own kitchens. The restaurant served breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day at a low cost, and on top of that, looked very professional with a clean looking seating area. Being in the sand, Hinata would have thought that everything was made out of sand or everything had a sheet of sand on it, but that wasn't the case for the café. It had wooden floors and white painted walls which attracted quite a few customers, young and old. Hinata had thought it might be awkward to show her face again there but no one seemed to bat an eye or show any sign of recognition.

Maruu and Kuro sat opposite on their designated table, both looking in any direction but at each other. Hinata knew that wasn't exactly healthy for people trying to start up a relationship, especially family, but she wouldn't push them- only help them along. Kuro had shed his ninja uniform in favour of a simple white t-shirt and black slacks. His usual shoulder-length hair was tied into a bun on the back of his head. Maruu was wearing her usual style of clothing: a hoodie and shorts.

Hinata made it to the table and set each plate down in front of their intended consumer, causing them both to look at her. She gave the slightest smile and sat down next to Maruu, opposite Kuro. She really wished Sasuke had come to breakfast with her today, but unfortunately, he had 'work' to do, whatever that was. On the plus side, she would get to spend the whole evening with her best friend tomorrow in full view of the Sand Fireworks Show. Sasuke had informed her that Naruto was coming to attend as well. She didn't really know how she felt about that at the moment, which was odd as she loved him… right?

'Of course I do.'

"So, what sort of things have you three been up to?" Kuro asked unexpectedly.

Fortunately, Maruu was able to answer, "We've been around different ninja villages and checked out some of the things there are to do there like taking a tour up a huge rock to have a picnic, try out the hot springs, camping in the wild while travelling, and even went to some nice restaurant, but most of the time I stay at home or shop for clothes with Hinata while Sasuke goes out on missions to help people."

"The tour for the rock. The Vrangr rock?"

"Yep," Maruu said, now looking at her Uncle suspiciously.

"What a surprise!" Kuro exclaimed, "Your Dad and I used to go every year, sometimes multiple times a year. Incredible view with a nice little swimming spot."

"I know right!" Maruu perked up, "I kept telling Sasuke all the way up it was like a haven. He even carried me up as he lost a bet."

"Arima and I used to see who could get up there the fastest. I'd always win, of course, but we'd be absolutely shattered by the time we got up there."

"Wow, that's so cool that I do the same thing you used to do when you lived there," Maruu said smiling. Hinata looked on at the two and saw something they could bond over. She hid a smile and started to eat her breakfast.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I guess," Kuro agreed.

"What's that mean?" Maruu asked, tilting her head.

"It means that you and your Father are more alike than you could possibly know," Kuro told her. Maruu let out a breath of relief at Kuro's words, almost like she was holding on to something but now the worry had been let go with his words.

"What else did you two do?" Maruu grinned.

"Oh, all sorts. We did everything together. Training, exercise, once we even shop- "

"-Training?" Maruu cut in, "As in Shinobi training?"

Kuro stopped his monologue abruptly to answer his Niece's question. "You bet. We wanted to become ninja together but when we got older, Arima didn't feel the same as me. That's part of the reason I left."

"My dad wanted to be a ninja?"

"When he was younger, about your age, he did, yes."

"The apple falls far from the treetops," Maruu said, repeating Kuro's line from earlier, but getting it slightly wrong.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," Kuro corrected, "What do you mean?

"I've always wanted to try to be a ninja. Sasuke and Hinata have been teaching me a little for a while and I really enjoy it. Are you a ninja?" Maruu asked suddenly.

"Sure, I work as a Jonin teacher at the Hidden Stone Village."

"No way! Really?" Maruu said jumping out of her seat.

Kuro gave a nervous laugh, "Yep, didn't you see my uniform under my cloak yesterday?"

Maruu either didn't hear his question or purposely chose to ignore it. Hinata put her Ryo on the latter.

"Then you can teach me as well," she demanded, grinning dangerously wide.

Hinata saw, yet again, another thing they could bond over. A mutual hobby. Maybe she could get Kuro to teach Maruu instead of her and Sasuke so that they could learn more about each other and Maruu could get to know him even better.

She took her chance and jumped in, "That's a great idea! You could take over her training and bond. Sasuke and I can even watch and you can show us how good you've gotten, Maruu?"

Maruu already looked eager, lapping it up like a dog and its bowl of milk. Kuro still looked sceptical.

"What have you been teaching Maruu so far?" he asked.

"Shurikan and Kunai throwing at targets, basic taijutsu, and we checked her nature type which turned out to be Water and Wind," Hinata informed. When they had seen what Maruu's nature type was, they couldn't stop her running around pretending to shoot blasts out of her hands while making fake hand seals and shouting 'I'm unstoppable'. It was really cute.

"Interesting. We have the same nature type," Kuro assessed, looking Maruu over, which only increased her happiness, "This could work."

"Is that a yes? We can swap more stories as we train?" Maruu urged.

Kuro laughed heartily, finally getting somewhere with his only Niece, "You can count me in!"

* * *

It took what seemed like seconds to get down to the training grounds with Maruu leading the way. She seemed very into the idea. It might make it easier when the time came to leave her with Kuro. As much as Hinata wanted to stay with Maruu, she signed an agreement with Mei and she had to honour it. Hopefully, when the time came, Maruu and Kuro would be able to trust and confide I each other as much as Maruu did her, and leave with them. Of course, she would definitely go to see Maruu again as much as she could; she had spent too long with her to just forget about her.

"Hey, Kuro can I ask a favour?" Hinata said quietly. Maruu was a while in front but she whispered all the same.

"Uh, sure, Hinata," he responded curiously.

"Tomorrow, for the firework display, would you mind going with Maruu and showing her around the stalls and staying with her throughout the display? I just think it would help her get to know you since I guess you figured she cannot stay with us since you're her legal guardian."

By Kuro's lack of response and blanched face, she guessed he had known already.

"I was hoping to see her then anyway, but having it just us two might help as you said," he said, "If I do, can you promise to help us along the way until you have to leave, however long or short that may be?"

Hinata smiled softly, "Of course I will. I'll make sure she thinks of you as a family by the time we have to leave," she vowed.

"Thank you," he finished, voice barely a whisper.

When they got to their destination, Hinata sat down a few metres away from the grounds so that she could see everything happening but not get in their way. She watched Maruu and Kuro walk to the middle where there was a wooden post jutting out of the ground, and waved when Maruu caught her watching her. Maruu waved back and went back to chatting with her new trainer.

"So tell me what you know so far about being a shinobi," Kuro asked, taking up the mantle of a teacher already.

Maruu was eager to supply him with all she had learned since she had started training her.

"Well, everyone has something called chakra inside of them, but only a few can use it. These people are ninjas and use chakra do use abilities to help them in combat and other things like that," Maruu said.

"Correct, but your definition isn't perfect. Here try this. Shinobi, or Kunoichi, female ninjas, are able to manipulate the chakra in their bodies to create and use techniques specific to their nature type. These nature types: fire, water, earth, lightning, and wind, along with other subgroups of these, corresponding to techniques which are used through the art of jutsu. There are many forms of jutsus, such as genjutsu, used for illusions which disrupt people's chakra flow. These jutsu are formed by using hand seals. Do you know any of the names or ways to make these seals?"

Maruu, from far away, looked like she was racking her brain for answers. Eventually, she formed a Snake seal and stared back up at Kuro.

"That's the Snake seal used mainly for Lightning and Earth style jutsu. Good job," Kuro congratulated, causing Maruu to smile up at him, "Do you know how many there are?"

"Ten?" Maruu guessed.

"Close, it's twelve. There are the Bird, Boar, Dog, Dragon, Ox, Tiger, Rat, Horse, Monkey, Hare, Ram, and obviously Snake. Don't worry about remembering them all yet, I can write them down for you if you're interested?"

"Definitely."

"Ok then, you are definitely shinobi material I'll give you that kid," he said, gaining another smile, "Since your nature types are the same as mine: Wind, and Water, you will only generally use two seals which are the Dog seal- for water release- and the Bird seal- for wind release."

He quickly showed her each sign which he tested her on. She successfully remembered how each one was formed.

"If you can remember them, I'll make a powerful ninja out of you yet," Kuro grinned making Maruu giggle.

"Will you show me some powerful jutsu?" Maruu asked eagerly.

"After I see how well you perform with ninja tools maybe. Do you have any on you?"

Maruu looked towards her and silently asked for her custom kunai she had bought beforehand. Maruu didn't have a ninja pouch so she often asked Hinata to carry it for her when she wasn't training. Hinata quickly rummaged around and pulled out Maruu's kunai before throwing it directly at Kuro's waiting grasp.

He easily caught it and gave it a curious once over.

"Nice," he said finally handing it over to Maruu who took up a stance facing the log, "It suits you."

Trying, but failing to ignore his comment, Maruu launched the Kunai at the post where it struck true into the top of the wood.

"Not bad. You're better than most of my students," Kuro chuckled, "How many is your limit when throwing?"

"Only two so far, but they don't always hit one-hundred percent of the time," she looked sad.

"That's great for your age, Maruu. Don't let it get you down. I promise to make sure you can throw at least five with perfect accuracy every time. I can even teach you Shurikan at the same time allowing you to switch between the two main ninja tools," the man assured almost making the girl hug him. Almost.

"At the academy," he continued, "passing students are required to be able to use taijutsu efficiently in sparring, manipulate chakra and learn to use techniques such as the clone technique or the transformation technique. To start off with, I can teach you some simple water and wind techniques that I know, and improve your taijutsu. How's that sound?"

"Thank you, that sounds great," Maruu shouted.

"Good," Kuro nodded, "Let's begin."

* * *

Thank you so much for today, Kuro," Hinata whispered as they found their floor at the Hotel.

"No problem, it was fun, thank you, Hinata," Kuro whispered back, reaching his door the same type Hinata reached hers.

Unsurprisingly, their short training session had turned into a long training session, and when Hinata said long, she meant long. Kuro was good at his job she had to admit. He had schooled her in everything she and Sasuke had missed and showed her two new jutsu like the Water clone. Even if she couldn't quite get it just yet, she was beyond happy with her progress. She could successfully throw two kunai at a stationary target and had even started on Shurikan. All of that training added up to hours and hours of time and eventually, Maruu fell asleep from exhaustion. Hinata was worried at first, but when she got closer she could see the slight smile on Maruu's face as she got her energy and chakra back. At Hinata's and Kuro's agreed retirement, they had picked her up and made their way back to their hotel where they found themselves now.

"I guess we'll see you tomorrow then?" Hinata remembered.

"Guess so. I look forward to spending the evening with Maruu," he said, genuinely smiling again- actually his smile hadn't come off his face since training with Maruu.

"Great. A friend of mine comes by tomorrow as well so it should be a fun day."

"I think so too."

They fell into companionable silence before Hinata finally wished him a good night and they parted ways.

She entered her room and found Sasuke sat on the couch resting his legs. She put a finger to her lips stopping him from speaking then gave him a little wave which he returned lazily. Swiftly she got to Maruu's bedroom and laid the girl down, covering her small form with the duvet.

Hinata smiled softly before leaving the room and shutting the door.

"Long day?" Sasuke's voice warmed her.

"Kuro and Maruu were getting along and she found out he was a ninja trainer at his academy, so I got him to show her a few things we hadn't covered. She loved it and Kuro seemed the happiest he's been so far. I think they can really bond over this," Hinata informed him, grabbing some water from the fridge.

"Sounds like a good idea," Sasuke agreed, "It'll help them get along for when we have to leave I guess."

Hinata nodded sadly.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Hyuuga."

She looked at him. Into the visible black eye that held so much more in them.

"Yeah, you're right, Sasuke," she reassured herself, "So what did you do?"

"Oh me? Nothing. Just wanted to avoid the breakfast meal," he confessed smirking at her.

She registered his words and hit his shoulder as hard as she could, "Idiot."

He smirked harder.

"We did get a letter from Kakashi though," he said returning to normal. She wasn't sure she was going to forgive him until she took in the sight of her best friend again. Forgiven.

"And?"

"I dunno, I haven't opened it. I was waiting for you," he said.

'I was waiting for you.' That sentence alone made her feel unnaturally warm yet again.

"Where is it?" she asked, causing him to point at the standard looking letter.

Hinata picked it up and unravelled the scroll.

'Dear Hinata and Sasuke, I am writing to inform you that your departure shall be within a week. Gaara informs me you are doing well and he is happy with all that you have done for his Village. By the end the week you shall make your way through the Rain country where a small village ravaged by the war is located. It is called 'Droplet Village' and is awaiting your arrival. Please help any way you can there and make the Leaf proud. Speaking of the Leaf, we have agreed to host the first 'Ninja games', where shinobi from all across the nations shall compete to find the greatest ninja training nation, in a month. Unfortunately, you most likely will not be able to attend due to your next village after the 'Droplet Village'. But getting back on track, please stay safe and complete your objectives with the utmost respect. The Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, Lord Sixth.'

Hinata finished up the letter and committed the next Village to memory. She hadn't heard of the city before but it sounded nice, or at least she hoped it did. It wasn't like she had a choice anyway.

"Never heard of it," Sasuke spoke out of nowhere, "You?"

She shook her head, placing the scroll back where it previously sat.

"One week is really soon, Sasuke."

"I know, but there's nothing we can do about it. We can worry about it when the time comes. We still have a week with her to spend with her, not to mention the fireworks display tomorrow" Sasuke assured. He came up behind her and wrapped his warm arms around her shoulders comforting her just when she needed it.

"You're right."

"I'm always right, Hyuuga."

"I need to get to bed, Sasuke."

"Yea me too, I'll be in soon. Let me know when you've changed," he said and stalked off.

Hinata became instantly aware of the lack of contact between them and for some reason suddenly craved it. She subconsciously went to wrap her own arms around herself but stopped herself before completing the action. It wouldn't be the same.

'I need his arms around me,' she suddenly realised.

* * *

 **Sorry for the wait, the next chapter should be out sooner and will have the moment everyone's been waiting for ;) It might also contain a little Naruto bashing but there's no other way I can think of to make Hinata chose him over Sasuke.**

 **Lastly, I have to say that I'm so thankful for the 52 Favourites, 97 Follows and 52 Reviews, that's mad. Let me know what you think with a review they really help!**

 **~UE**


	20. Fireworks

"Unlucky!"

Hinata's palm soared gently across Sasuke's shoulder as he dodged to the left to avoid her powerful strike. She voiced her frustration with a quick 'harrumph' and continued her assault on Sasuke's person. Her foot slammed into the dry, cracked ground and she flew above him landing behind his back to which Sasuke's eyes widened when he looked into her determined moon-like irises. For a split second, Hinata was sure she had finally beaten him, but the feeling left as quickly as it came when he smirked and whirled around in an instant, dropped to the floor and kicked her in the stomach. Hinata flew backwards and she wanted to give up, but the blood of the proud Hyuuga blood running in her veins forced her to flip backwards and land a few short metres away from Sasuke.

"You almost caught me off guard there, Hyuuga," he said, narrowing his eyes and slipping into an attack pose which looked eerily similar to the Hyuuga eight trigrams starting pose.

As she suppressed a growl, the thought of how she once was super shy and sloppy of a fighter she was before meeting Sasuke came to the forefront of her mind. He had really helped hone her skills in every area and with this help, she had managed to feel more confident in herself and her combativeness. Hinata was truly thankful.

However, now was not the time to feel thankful. No.

It was the time for ruthlessness and absolute concentration.

Hinata drew Dawn from her scabbard and watched as the light from the sun ran up the side of the blade. It dazed her slightly and she realised she hadn't used the ancient sword for quite a while. On one hand that meant she could surprise Sasuke as he also hadn't seen her use it for a while. On the other hand, it might not bode well for her as she hadn't had any practice with it since her last sword training session.

Opening her chakra points throughout her body, she let the flow of her chakra be pushed into Dawn to which she ignited into lightning which stretched the full length of the blade. It pulsed with ferocious flashes of light as she set her sights on the intended target.

Catching her drift, Sasuke smirked slightly and pulled out Pitch. The dark hue of the blade was quickly replaced with the same snapping lightning her own held.

Staring into each other's eyes, Hinata knew she wanted to initiate the fight before he could steal the so-called stage. Raising Dawn above her head, she dove head-on into danger itself. Or should she say himself?

She reached her companion in moments- her speed had almost tripled since leaving the Leaf- and her sword clashed with his own as he raised it above his head to stop her fatal blow. Lightning licked up and down his arm. He was lucky he had taught himself how to absorb lightning affinity. Sasuke parried her blow and spun in a wide sweep to catch her ribs. Hinata wouldn't have seen it if it weren't for her all-seeing eyes.

Whipping Dawn down to her side she stopped the attack with a loud, high-pitched screech.

"My Byakugan can see everything remember?" she scolded.

"Of course I remember," Sasuke said with a laid-back attitude, "But how does it fend against two opponents?"

'Two?' she questioned herself.

"Fights aren't always going to be one on one, Hyuuga." And with that partial piece of information, Sasuke summoned a perfect copy of himself with a swift hand sign. Unfortunately, it happened to appear behind her with a replica of Pitch aimed at her neck.

"How are you going to get out of this one?" he asked mockingly.

With both of her hands forcing back the original's sword at her side, she had no choice but to forget ninjutsu. Due to her honed, sharp thinking they had worked on, she sifted through hundreds of possibilities and came to a simple conclusion of rotation. One of her clan's more memorable taijutsu.

Using her heel as a pivot she scraped her sword down Sasuke's and used the momentum to start her spin. Depositing Dawn inside its scabbard, Hinata thrust her palms outwards while rotating and pushed her chakra out. Adding a change in nature, more precisely Fire, the vortex swirling around her grew hot and turned into a sort of fire tornado. She could capture glimpses of Sasuke's amused yet amazed face with her Byakugan which made her infinitely more proud of her achievements.

She wasn't done just yet though.

When she was sure that the clone Sasuke had dissipated from the rising heat, and the original Sasuke had retreated, Hinata jumped up and slammed her palm into the training ground making the fire ripple outwards like water being hit with a pebble. The fired roared into her ears as it burned as bright as the sun.

Hinata searched for Sasuke. He was about ten metres away from her and staring at the oncoming fire. Once again Hinata wondered if she had him on the backfoot. No such luck.

Sasuke breathed in the air and then let out a torrent of water. Despite having the same affinities as her, his elevated six path powers gave him access to more than two nature types… unluckily for her. The wave of water encompassed the fire ripple and steam blanketed their surroundings as if it were a foggy day.

While working out the quickest way to rid the battlefield of the fog she suddenly realised there was no sign of Sasuke anywhere.

Left? No.

Right? No.

Above? No.

Below? No.

That left just one place.

Little people knew about the minuscule blind spot of the Byakugan. Her Father didn't reveal this spot- that was located just below the neck- until she was seven, but if anyone knew about it, it would be Sasuke. His unending quest to improve his intelligence and his years at Orochimaru's side almost guaranteed the fact that he would know just where this blind-spot was.

Quick as lightning, Hinata snapped around and stabbed her finger through the ring of the approaching kunai. She had been lucky. One more second would have been all it took to have been hit. Sasuke was going to get an earful from her now.

"Nice catch!" a voice joked. She looked up and put a voice to the face. Sasuke was dropping from the sky with Chidori screaming in his fist. Any second now he would be on top of her.

Hinata lit the kunai in her hand with lightning and threw it upwards at Sasuke's head just as he had done to her. She watched as Sasuke batted it away with ease before landing just in front of her on his toes. He rushed towards her and she could hear the signature chirping birds chat away in her ears so loudly she could hardly bear to listen to it any longer. With that resolve, Hinata rushed forward and caught, rather bravely, Sasuke's fist, where she quickly dispelled his Chidori, made her own chakra dagger out of lightning, and held it by his heart.

"Yield," she said, looking into his visible eye.

She could see him searching for something in her eyes by the rapid movement of his pupil.

"I yield," Sasuke said with a grin, "Besides we need to meet the dobe soon."

Hinata let out a breath and withdrew her chakra from the lightning dagger so that it withered away to nothing.

"You could've hit me with kunai earlier," she brought up.

Sasuke rose an eyebrow and replied with, "I had faith that you would work it out. I wouldn't have thrown it otherwise. You've become exceedingly good since we first left the leaf. So good, in fact, that I think we can cut down on your training."

"Really?" This had caught her off guard and she felt as though she could finally have confidence in her abilities. Of course, to keep up the skills she had acquired, she needed to train whenever possible. Would her Father be proud of her now?

As if reading her mind, Sasuke spoke again.

"Your Father would be assuredly proud of how far you have progressed in a few months. You deserve everything you've earned."

Time stopped right then and there.

Hinata rushed forward and wrapped her best friend in the tightest hug known to man all the while whispering 'thank you'. After the initial shock had worn off of Sasuke, he returned her hug and Hinata felt that special feeling once again. Like she would always feel safe with Sasuke.

"Hyuuga?" Sasuke said her name to which she responded with a nod into his neck, "We need to meet Naruto."

"Oh… yes, right."

She wasn't quite sure what she was expecting him to say but she couldn't help the tinge of disappointment that entered her subconscious.

* * *

It took all but seconds for the Suna guards to open the gates and let the famous Nine-Tails, war hero Jinchuriki Naruto in. Naruto knew Gaara had already been told by Kakashi that he was arriving on this day so it wasn't so surprising. The walls were around thirty feet high but that was nothing compared to the gate which was pulled into the walls and allowed him entry. After going through the long corridor of sandstone, Naruto finally made it into the Sand Village. Despite once being near the Sand Village, Naruto had never actually been in the city (which meant Sasuke would know more than him about the village) due to helping deal with the Akatsuki who had managed to capture his friend Gaara, which led to the unfortunate death of the Kazekage. Luckily, Granny Chiyo had a forbidden ninjutsu up her sleeve which gave her own life in return for death to let Gaara go.

Inside the village, Naruto could see a winding path that rushed off ahead of him which had sandstone buildings lining each side. Each one looked generally the same but that was expected when everything was made out of sand… Sand was well known to be orange. To the left and right of him were two small huts housing a few shinobi in each. Naruto guessed their jobs were to be guards or had something to do with administration.

Either way, none of the surrounding landscape was what caught his eye. In fact, it was the group of five people that stood ahead.

Sasuke; Gaara; Hinata; and two others that Naruto didn't recognise.

Hinata was wearing simple short shorts and stockings that she had left the Leaf wearing, the only difference being she had on a baggy pink hoodie that made her slightly shorter hair fan around. She had a small smile on her face that seemed eager to meet him. While Hinata wore bright clothes, his best friend wore virtually all black clothes bar the red and white Uchiha fan on his neck high shirt. His hair had grown quite a lot since he had last seen him and it now almost covered both of his eyes. In said eyes were a tinge of excitement but also something deeper that Naruto couldn't read. Maybe he could check it out in sage mode later?

The man that Naruto didn't recognise was wearing a red ninja suit with a brown flak jacket which was reminiscent of a Stone shinobi. Beside him was a girl with black hair- although she had a white streak framing her face- wearing a simple white shirt and black leggings. Naruto had been briefed on a girl although he didn't know for sure that this girl was for sure the one he had been told about by Kakashi. Apparently, the girl's parents had died and left her an orphan, which was when Sasuke and Hinata had found her and taken her in. He, along with Sasuke, knew better than anyone how it felt to be an orphan, but at least she had two great people looking after her in the meanwhile.

"Naruto!"

A cacophony of 'Naruto's' suddenly came his way. He felt his mouth turn up in a toothy smile and he rushed towards them all.

He bumped fists with Gaara while inclining his head and eyebrows at Sasuke standing just next to him. Lastly, as Hinata bowed ever so slightly like the heiress she was, he embraced her in a short hug instead. Hinata gasped softly. Sasuke's face darkened.

From Sakura, Naruto had learned that Hinata supposedly had a slight crush on him. From Hinata's slight blush he supposed it could be true but he wasn't going to act on it. Not unless she actually told him, which he would have to respectfully decline.

* * *

Hinata was released from the hug and smoothed her hoodie down so as to regain her composure. She unconsciously felt for her warm and red face but realised for the first time since meeting Naruto she hadn't broken out in girlish blushes. Her eyes widened at the sudden realisation. In fact, instead of expecting to feel happy, contented, and shy, she instead felt the awkward, and suddenness of the situation. It almost felt… not right. None of the romantic feelings that usually shot through her veins after seeing her crush were present. The spark and the butterflies had been reduced to nothing more than her general shyness. Suddenly, Hinata felt she had somehow betrayed her feelings for Naruto. She was going to love him for the rest of her life. Part of the reason she had come on this trek was to improve and catch up to him. But she squashed those disgusting voices in the back of her head she didn't know she had and told herself that it may be for the best that she no longer devoted her entire life to someone who barely ever looked at her.

But one thing was nagging her…

If her feelings for Naruto had suddenly been reduced to nothing, then what had gotten rid of them and replaced them?

STEP

STEP

STEP

Snapping out of her reverie, Hinata spun around and saw Sasuke retreating away from their small group looking down towards the sandstone ground.

"Sasuke?" she called after him.

* * *

Sasuke cursed his existence as he quickly tried to escape from the scene and erase it from his memory. Unfortunately, being an Uchiha meant having one of the best memories known to man. Every single detail of the hug had been etched into his mind forever. He faced the ground with his eyes sealed shut and tried to vent his anger at seeing Hinata betray him.

'Of course, it was always Naruto,' he scolded himself, 'I was never even an option'

He heard his name being called behind him. He didn't register who had said it and frankly It didn't even matter.

"Sasuke!"

Closer now. Running after him. Female Voice. Hinata.

He tried to leave faster.

Selfishly, his imagination conjured up an image of Naruto and Hinata doing far more than kissing and he almost growled out loud until he felt his body stop dead and his arm being pulled back towards the group of ninjas. His eyes snapped open and he turned his head to see Hinata holding his hand in hers while looking at him curiously with her big, lavender eyes.

"Are you OK, Sasuke?" she asked innocently as if she had no idea what she was doing to him. Perhaps she didn't after all.

"Fine," he scowled, trying and failing to walk away again, "Didn't want to ruin yours and the dobe's lovely reunion."

He inwardly cringed at his mocking tone and searched her face for an apology which he was sure she would provide being Hinata.

"Loving?" she asked, seemingly questioning herself. Then something clicked inside her. "Oh. Are you referring to when I told you that I loved Naruto all those months ago?"

He flinched when she mentioned 'love' but replied with a, "Obviously."

He tried forcibly getting away from her this time but immediately became immobile by what she uttered next.

"I don't."

He looked at her with his lips slightly parted in awe. "What?"

She looked into his eyes and repeated herself, "I thought I still did but when Naruto hugged me all I felt was plain awkwardness. The spark that he once gave me is gone. And I can't figure out why?"

"Your feelings for him are gone?" he asked suspiciously, trying not to give anything away.

"Yes," she answered.

Sasuke felt a metaphorical wave hit him and immediately he felt bad for jumping to conclusions, rushing away, and blaming the two closest people to him.

"Sorry," he once again apologised. Hinata may have been the only person in the world to hear multiple apologies from himself, but that was because he always found a way to screw up around her.

"It's Fine," she smiled sweetly, "You were just trying to protect me, right? From the moment I told you about my previous love for Naruto you told me I was wasting my time on someone who loved another. I guess I have you to thank for helping me realise there was so much more to life than trying to impress somebody."

Sasuke visibly recoiled at her words which hit him hard. He had just done the unthinkable and she was thanking him? And for dragging her along no less. But he saw her out and chose to take it. He still wanted to watch the fireworks after all.

"Right," he said, simply agreeing with her point about 'trying to protect her'.

"Come back, Sasuke. Everyone's looking at us funny," she said dragging them back to the group. This time he let her pull him along, fingers intertwining next to each other.

"What was that all about?" Naruto asked when they rejoined the group.

"Sasuke thought he forgot to lock the apartment door so I just reminded him that I locked it after we left this morning," Hinata materialised. Sasuke looked at her slyly and smirked.

"What's it to you, dobe?" Sasuke jested, trying to forget everything that had just transpired.

Naruto locked his eyes on Sasuke's visible Onyx ones and bared his teeth. Oh, he had missed teasing the idiot.

"What did you say, dattebayo?!" Naruto called back, half smirked, half baring teeth ready for a fight.

"You heard me, loser," Sasuke countered again.

"Why you-!"

"-Naruto, it's good to see you again. I see you've changed quite a lot since I last saw you." Gaara interrupted, eager to finish the little spat between the pseudo brothers.

"Hm?" Naruto asked, backing down from Sasuke, "Oh, I sure have Gaara. I think it makes me look more mature don't you?"

Sasuke, now focused, could see the quite drastic change in Naruto's appearance as well. His usual blonde, long, unkempt hair was now shaved much shorter, cropped to his head and he had given up his awful orange jumpsuit for a black button up shirt and orange trousers. His missing arm had been replaced with a new limb like his own and was similarly bandaged up so as to remove suspicion.

Although it looked far better, Sasuke couldn't help a little teasing, "Thank the Sage you got rid of that damned jumpsuit. You looked absolutely ridiculous in it."

"Take that back you bastard, dattebayo!" Naruto retaliated as his fashion was called out.

Sasuke simply smirked at his friend's short temper and looked away.

"What's with the hand holding anyway, Hinata-chan?" Naruto suddenly asked. Sasuke fought the urge to stiffen.

Luckily Hinata had an answer for this as well, "Sasuke has been helping me improve myself since we left the village and we've become really close friends. I like to show my appreciation."

"Really? That's really awesome, Hinata-Chan. Sakura and I have become much closer too since everything has calmed down at the Leaf. Do you wanna fight, dattebayo?" Naruto shouted, pumping his fist into the air.

Sasuke spun himself and Hinata around and started walking them away. "She doesn't want to fight you loser. Come on we need to get going if we want to get good seats," Sasuke said smirking as he heard Naruto spluttering behind him. As much as he didn't want to hear about Sakura, he was happy that his friends were getting closer and the fact that Sakura may not be obsessed with gaining his love was a definite bonus.

"Oh right yeah! I can't wait! Come on Gaara." Naruto exclaimed falling into line with Sasuke and Hinata. Maruu and Kuro also smiled at the two boy's antics and followed closely beside them.

Along the way, Sasuke caught Gaara's mocking smile. Something about it told Sasuke he knew exactly why he had almost stormed off and it wasn't because of an unlocked apartment.

* * *

It was early evening and the Fireworks were due to go at any minute. Sasuke had led them all to a good spot on a sand dune next to a manmade pond where benches were set up to sit on. Due to them being small and fitting only two, Naruto and Gaara took one while Sasuke and Hinata took the other. It had taken them quite some time to find spots as good as these as Naruto had asked for ramen almost immediately after setting off from the gate, thereby making them late for the closest seats, much to everyone's annoyance.

Hinata made it her mission to never be willingly rude, but Naruto had not once stopped chatting since they started walking. Whether it was about food, fireworks, everyone's time away, or Maruu and Kuro, he kept on. Villagers even came up to the well-known hero and asked him to sign anything they had on them at the time, or even request a hug. Of course, Naruto had obliged to every single one and it had cost them a lot of time. After listening to Naruto for hours, Hinata had time to actually appreciate Sasuke's silence as she could hear herself think and bring up a topic at any point without being interrupted. It reminded her of her mother and especially her. Hinata knew she was known for being the quiet and shy girl back at the Leaf, so for someone to share that trait seemed suddenly like a godsend.

Managing to get Maruu to go off with her Uncle was yet another thing that took time. They had sprung it on her when they were getting her some cotton candy. At first, Maruu had protested saying she wanted to cuddle with her and Sasuke- which made Sasuke make his signature 'Hn' sound- and it was so cute that she almost relented right then and there, but Maruu needed to get used to Kuro a little more. They were already bonding quite fast and they had both formed familial-like attachments to each other. They often grinned at each other and Kuro would easily buy her anything she asked for, be it clothes or equipment. Their training was the main thing they could bond over and Hinata was happy Maruu now had actual family who on top of that could carry on her shinobi training.

Hinata still wasn't sure when to spring the news on Maruu about when they were leaving her. She knew it would break her heart and she didn't want to go but at the same time she wanted to have more time with Sasuke.

Was that selfish?

But all that had led them to this location.

Hinata's imagination was going crazy and she wanted to see what the fireworks looked like in the starry sky. It was the perfect night for it as the sun had gone down extremely quickly for a desert but Hinata supposed Gaara had chosen this night specifically for that reason.

She looked over at Gaara. He was quietly chatting to Naruto about something she couldn't hear but they both seemed happy, especially Naruto who had stocked up on instant ramen to eat while watching. He dug his chopsticks into the pot efficiently and shovelled the noodles into his mouth with practised ease.

Sasuke sat on the bank just below her next to the pond as he stared into the pond. Hinata watched him and looked at the Uchiha crest on his back. The day she accidentally wore I came to mind and she smiled to herself. She wondered if she would ever get to wear it again. He had said he didn't mind her wearing it and it was very comfy, and it smelled of him. Perhaps she could ask him again tonight?

Feeling rather cold, she got up from the bench and sat next to Sasuke leaning into his right arm and shoulder. It was rather bold of her and elicited a small blush but she held firm in her actions.

Sasuke gave up looking at the pond and its contents to turn his head towards her.

She gasped so softly she could barely hear it in her own ears.

His face was softer than she had ever seen it before as he looked right into her eyes. But that wasn't what had made her gasp. It was the fact his usual dark eye was a deep, hypnotising red. She remembered when she was younger and her clan had told her that the revered Sharingan was dangerous beyond anything she could comprehend. At the time it had scared her away from the Uchiha clan but now she had all but forgotten their warning.

Where the Byakugan was soft and pupil-less, with light colours, the Sharingan was piercing, dark, and intriguing. It pulled her in so easily as she traced each line and curve of the tomoe pattern. She supposed this was how so many people could easily fall prey to the ocular genjutsu the Sharingan was so famous for; because it was just impossible to look away. Hinata wondered whether this feeling was what Sasuke described her eyes were like to look into.

"I want to remember this night as perfectly as possible," Sasuke told her quietly, "My Sharingan helps me mentally sketch my surroundings perfectly to be able to see whenever I need."

"So that's why," she said just as quietly, forcibly dragging her sight off of his face.

The first bang signalled the Fireworks had started and Hinata turned her attention to the black sky which was being fought back by the bright, dazzling lights hissing in the dark. They were mesmerising. It was her first time ever seeing them because of the war but her Mother had told her and Hanabi about them once and after that, both sisters had wanted to see just one go off into the sky. Their Mother had ended up sneaking a Catherine Wheel into the compound just so the two girls could watch and get a feel for how real Fireworks were. The Catherine Wheel had fascinated both of them immediately.

But the Wheel felt so small in comparison to the Fireworks she was watching now. She wished Hanabi could be here to see them with her and Sasuke. The sharp hiss signalled a rocket shooting up and a loud boom gave away to every colour imaginable. Reds, Blues, Greens, Oranges, and Purples.

It was then she realised that not everyone was watching the Fireworks as closely as she was.

She felt his stare more than saw it.

Turning her head, she found herself yet again looking into Sasuke's Sharingan. He had a small smirk on his lips which made her heart flip dangerously. Confused, she leant her head to the side and narrowed her eyes.

"Sas- Mmmpphh!"

Hinata was cut off by Sasuke's lips covering her own and suddenly she was taken aback by surprise. She barely registered Sasuke's palm reach up to hold her jaw released her only to come crashing back into her with a deeper kiss. The Fireworks were no longer registering in her ears. In fact, nothing of any kind of noise was making its way to her.

All she could sense was Sasuke.

She shut her eyes as she realised her first kiss had been taken by the last person she had ever expected it to be taken by. Normally Hinata would be a nervous wreck by now but all she could feel was bliss. Her earlier question of who had made her forget her feelings for Naruto had been answered, and it was none other than her best friend, who she trusted with her life, who had taught her to hone herself, who she had shared months of her life alone with.

And that made her infinitely happy.

In their own little bubble of time and space, they shared a kiss.

Minutes later- or was it seconds?- Sasuke separated their lips and looked into her eyes which felt almost as incredible as the kiss. The previous smirk made its way back onto his face although it was more happy than mischievous.

"Thank you, Hinata Hyuuga," he whispered, his eyes spinning back to its usual onyx black.

Hinata frowned. "Sasuke?"

She was interrupted again by Sasuke shushing her before she could ask what he meant, as well as question the kiss he had given her.

He leaned forward a small amount and pecked her forehead before turning and going back to watching the Fireworks she had forgotten were still going off. She realised he didn't want to talk and followed his lead, holding two fingers to the place where he had planted another kiss, smiling silly to herself.

'Hinata Hyuuga,' Sasuke's voice floated around her head.

Her smile grew ten fold as she realised Sasuke had used her name for the first time.

Not Hyuuga…

…But Hinata.

* * *

 **This is how long it takes to bring out a chapter with the combined forces of writer's block and procrastination but I finally finished this monumental chapter. I want to thank everyone for sticking with this FanFiction and I'll try to keep the time between chapters smaller. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, but I think it came out OK. Special thanks to MikanYuzo for giving me a push. Chapter One has also had a small overhaul which makes it seem more believable.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading.**

 **~UE**


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